Seal, Art and Science
23/03/2024
To say we are super excited is a bit of an understatement.
Kurt Jackson is a world renowned Cornish contemporary artist extraordinaire! As a dedicated environmentalist, Kurt’s stunning outdoor art and studio sessions embrace an extensive range of materials and techniques including mixed media, large canvases, print-making, the written word and sculpture. Kurt’s portrayal of our incredible Cornish landscapes and natural world are second to none and his Foundation Gallery has been named ‘Best Art Gallery in Cornwall’ three years running
SRT’s Director, Sue Sayer MBE, first met Kurt when she won her ‘best contribution as an individual’ Cornwall Sustainability Award in 2018. https://cornwallsustainabilityawards.org/awards/2018-awards/ . Kurt had sculpted the striking and sustainable trophies that year in a creative collaboration with the design for change studio, Leap. https://cornwallsustainabilityawards.org/2018-trophies/ . These were inspired by the state of the marine environment contaminated with our plastic waste. Kurt created recycled waste acrylic mackerel with Cornish tin pilchards inside, along with a sprinkling of mermaid’s tears, also known as plastic nurdles (the pellets from which all plastic items are moulded.)
On meeting Sue, Kurt shared his experiences of growing up seeing seals near his childhood home and observing them as a normal, everyday experience around his local coastline. He expressed an interest in studying them, with the aspiration of a future exhibition featuring their form, movements, haunts and habits.
In 2020 just before lock down, Kurt invited SRT to display our seal skeletons Septimus (a mid teens adult male) and Augusta (a few day old pup) in his Foundation Gallery in St Just. This was such a wonderful opportunity to share Kurt’s and SRT’s holistic approach to work, life and conservation.
Fast forward to 2024 and we find our lives entwined again…'Kurt’s Cornish Seal and SRT’s a Seal's Story: Sharing our Seas' exhibition is a reality. From March 16th to August 10th 2024 at the Kurt Jackson Foundation in St Just, TR19 7LB you can marvel at Kurt’s portrayal of our native, heritage, specialist Cornish seals and SRT’s citizen science endeavours to protect and conserve seals and their marine environment for future generations of seals and people.
Septimus on display at Jackson Foundation Gallery
Kurt has honoured SRT by allocating his upstairs exhibition space to our informational banners on show alongside ‘Septimus’ and ‘Augusta’s immortal skeletons. SRT have worked closely with Kurt’s wonderful team, to select an eclectic mix of display items that bridge art and science to appeal to a wide range of interests and ages.
SRT is delighted to return Septimus and Augusta to Cornwall and Kurt’s Gallery after they spent 8 months as the focus of a marine exhibition on the Isle of Wight in 2023. These skeletons are spectacular, fascinating and informative creatures, illustrating what amazing marine mammals seals are. At the same time they act as sentinels, bringing stories and shocking secrets about the state of our seas to us on land. Will we listen and act in time?
Please join us to celebrate our Cornish native, heritage, speciality seals in all their amazing glory. We hope everyone will find something engaging and inspiring, from Kurt’s beautiful works of art, to SRT’s films, displays, skeletons, imaginative 3d seal art and free resources.
Augusta on display at Jackson Foundation Gallery
Seal Research Trust on display at Jackson Foundation Gallery
