A host of enchanting cultural events are set to show the Jurassic Coast, England's only natural World Heritage Site, in a new light this autumn and winter.

Creative Coast, the Jurassic Coast's cultural programme, aims to fire the imaginations of local people and visitors alike, encouraging them to explore Dorset and East Devon's unique coastline from a fresh perspective.

The programme -which kicks off this month - features collaborations between artists and earth scientists, twilight music and animation in cliff-side caves, world-class photography displays and dance performances linking two continents. 

Highlights include:

The Rock Charmer (outdoor music and animation)
16-17 September - Winspit, near Worth Matravers, Purbeck
Journey through a magical landscape animated by music and projections. Part of the Inside Out season, two twilight performances will combine music by acclaimed Finnish accordionist Kimmo Pohjonen with animation by the UK artists Paper Cinema.

Starting at 7pm at the historic Square and Compass pub in Worth Matravers, the after-dusk journey leads you to the former quarrying site of Winspit, cradled in Jurassic Coast cliffs.

Exploratory Laboratory (exhibition)
18 September-23 October - Bridport Arts Centre
See the changing Jurassic Coast with fresh eyes from the combined perspective of artists and earth scientists.

Kicking off a series of collaborations, this exhibition features technology used to monitor change such as erosion along the Jurassic Coast alongside work by artists exploring the same subject, with chances to get involved yourself.

The project will ultimately see temporary artworks displayed in buildings, open-air locations and galleries along the coast in 2012. It is part of the Coastal Change Pathfinder initiative to engage with communities around understanding and adapting to coastal change.

Jurassic Journey
January 2011 onwards - village halls
Travel through time with a multi-media extravaganza hosted by photographer Ben Osborne

The Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2007 and stills photographer for David Attenborough's BBC series presents a visual diary of his experiences of the Jurassic Coast in this new touring show, enhanced by collaborations with poet Matt Harvey, musician Sammy Hurden and visual artist Lal Hitchcock.

Commissioned by Artsreach and Villages in Action in partnership with Creative Coast, the show will tour Dorset and Devon from January, and will culminate in the opening of the new gallery space at Durlston Castle in Swanage in summer 2011.

Desert Crossings
January 2011 onwards - national tour (including at the Pavilion, Bournemouth)

Contemporary choreography inspired by the parallels between the rocks of two continents, two cultures, and two eras.

This cross-cultural dance performance sees collaboration between UK-based producers State of Emergency and South African choreographer Gregory Maqoma of Vuyani Dance Theatre, performed by a company of five dancers.

Inspired by the similarities between the Jurassic Coast, and the Skeleton Coast of Namibia, the work reflects on the two very different regions, united through the rocks on which they stand.

Sue Davies OBE, Chair of the Culture Committee of the UK National Commission for UNESCO, said:

"Desert Crossings puts the vastness of geological time into perspective while delving deep into what this means for human culture. It suggests a link between our cultural and natural heritage and our present; our common humanity with South Africa and Namibia; skeletons of species alive today with the fossils of those species no longer with us."

Lyme Regis Fossil Festival 2011
Some of the above work will come together again as part of the programme at the Lyme Regis Fossil Festival, 29 April to 1 May 2011. 

New Creative Coast web pages
For more information about these events and more, visit the new Creative Coast web pages, featuring animated drawings by Nic Rawlings from Paper Cinema, at http://www.jurassiccoast.com/creativecoast