Candie only museum showing best wildlife pictures
GUERNSEY MUSEUM at Candie is the only museum in the British Isles able to showcase the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition, thanks to Covid-19 restrictions.
The exhibition is on loan from the Natural History Museum and on its first weekend hundreds of islanders walked through the doors to enjoy the display.
Registrar Lisa Burton said Guernsey Museums has a good working relationship with the NHM, which agreed to allow the artwork to remain at Candie for longer.
‘We were about a week away from opening when we went into the second lockdown,’ she said. ‘But because museums across the UK are not due to open until 17 May, museums’ schedules shuffled around a bit, meaning we could keep it a bit longer to show people.’
Arguably one of the most universally popular exhibitions, it appeals to all age groups by featuring telling and poignant photojournalism images alongside fascinating snapshots of animals in their day-to-day life.
Access and learning manager Jo Dowding said this exhibition was particularly special because of the children’s entries.
‘It’s incredible to see work from children under 10 – and from their viewpoint as well, which is usually shot from a lower angle, getting a different perspective.’
Two games have been developed to make the exhibition more interactive for young people.
Enjoying filling out a quiz to identify which animals particular eyes were cropped from were seven-year-old Olivia Davies and her brother William, 4. ‘My favourite photo is the puffin because I’ve got a toy one,’ she said.
Also having a look was nine-year-old Jax Williams, who said he felt even more inspired to be out in nature and look for wildlife.
n The Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition is on display until 16 May. From 28 May to 4 July, American photographer Alec Soth’s work will be shown, followed by a Viking Heroes exhibition from 19 July to the end of the year.
