CCI’s Arts, Science and Conservation Programme is delighted to be collaborating with the University of Cambridge’s Museum of Zoology again this summer on Breaking Point – a ceramics exhibition inspired by the natural world.
Three artists – Mella Shaw, Jayne Ivimey, and Elspeth Owen will exhibit work inspired by the natural world among the displays in the Museum of Zoology. All three artists have a strong interest in the environmental movement and create ceramics that seek to engage, provoke, and stimulate discussion.
With artworks placed in and amongst the cases of taxidermy, skeletons and specimens in jars, visitors will be able to see the Museum’s collections in a new light. Throughout the exhibition, the fragility of fired clay as a material is explored in a context of ecological decline, ecosystem collapse and environmental change and uncertainty.
About the artists
Mella Shaw: With a background in anthropology and a former career in museums and galleries, Mella makes clay objects and installations that address reoccurring environmental themes of balance, tipping-points, fragility, and loss.
Jayne Ivimey: Based in Norfolk, Jayne creates a range of works that depict the natural world. Having spent seven years working on bird conservation in New Zealand, much of her recent work includes references to birds and the challenges they face.
Elspeth Owen: With a long-established studio in Grantchester, near Cambridge, Elspeth’s work has been shown worldwide, and is held in the permanent collections of the Fitzwilliam Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.
The exhibition was open 8th July to 3rd October 2021
Further information about the exhibition and the University of Cambridge Museum of Zoology can be found here:
https://www.museum.zoo.cam.ac.uk/whats-on/breaking-point-exhibition-2021
https://www.cam.ac.uk/stories/museum-of-zoology-breaking-point-exhibition-2021
Image: Mella Shaw HARVEST 2018 Image ©Sophie Mutevelian
