Re-Imagining Hilbre Exhibition
The exhibition of my work on Hilbre Island took place from the 17th of June until the 1st of July 2025. For this exhibition,
I presented artworks developed during the past year and a half, part of my MA Art in Science (LJMU) research project
‘Re-Imagining Ecosystems’. I also developed a large work in progress and a ‘collaboration platform’ for visitors to contribute to the SSHI (Site of Special Human Interconnectedness)
status and book .
About the curation of the exhibition
The exhibition involved the curation of 32 artworks. These artworks were arranged non-chronologically under different themes for each room of the exhibition space. The purpose of arranging the works in this manner was to highlight the notion of deep mapping as a concept and a tool to shape the navigation of the exhibition. Deep mapping serves as a ‘bridge’ to help us connect what we see with what we cannot see involving mapping out our experience of places. This can take many forms: mapping through the use of photography, appreciation or/and creation of artworks, poetry or a combination of all these - as seen in this exhibition. Deep maps are not specific outcomes of deep mapping but ways of making visual the connections we find and create in our minds and spaces. Deep maps explore the connections between people and places, avoiding being literal. These type of maps aim to favour exploration and boundary-free thinking.
The different rooms in the exhibition space
Map of the exhibition
The journey of the exhibition was constructed in a non-linear way and complemented with visual navigation prompts to help visitors engage with the work in different ways.
About the artworks
The artworks presented in the exhibition range from mixed media artworks, photography and one-off prints. The themes explored relate to Hilbre Island’s landscape, from visualisations of its natural features to conceptual constructs related to the landscape. The landscape is explored in a layered manner, by acknowledging that everything that makes the landscape can be perceived/understood by taking the time for close observation as well as appreciating the richness of a multi-layered view. The layers are geological as well as relating to the dimensions of consciousness.
The selection of some of the artworks from the first exhibition ‘What Does Nature Tell Us? (2024)’ was based on the premise of responding to the different themes of the rooms for this new exhibition. The themes are, as also shown above:
Landscape shaped by nature’s voices
The selection of artworks for this room of the exhibition was based on the representation of the landscape through poetry and costume design.
The Poetics of Hilbre
For this room, artworks from the exhibition ‘What Does Nature Tell Us? (2024)’ (read blog post here) were selected. During the beginnings of the project, and for the first exhibition, a vast array of photographs were chosen to be exhibited. These regain a space in the new exhibition ‘Re-Imagining Hilbre, as a SSHI’ (2025), the curated selection represent the poetics of Hilbre. Photographs that depict the intricacies of the sandstone formations, isolated natural elements that respond to the theme of tides, the permeability of the landscape (the interaction of the mudflats with the water, creating different spaces in between).
Weaving the Unseen
Navigating the landscape also takes space in the imagination of the artist and of the observer of the artwork. The experience of the landscape exceeds the visual boundaries and takes place in the subconscious sphere, shaping elements of the landscape and feelings of it in ways that can only be manifested through art. A series of etchings and prints have been selected for this room. Find out more on the artworks tab.
Space for Wonder
This space is an invitation to connect with the eroding landscape and the disappearing species of Hilbre. Either through the action of climate change and also due to the natural erosion being caused on the island by the sea and wind, the species will gradually leave this natural space. The room ‘Space for Wonder’ offers a seating area in an intimate space to think about nature and our connection with it.
Contributions to the SSHI status
As part of the exhibition, a book with contributions to the SSHI (Site of Special Human Interconnectedness) status of Hilbre was presented. This book encompassed all the creative contributions people did during the workshops of ‘Re-Imagining Hilbre’ which took place during April 2025. Visitors were also invited to add their contributions using art materials provided during the duration of the exhibition which were then added to the SSHI legacy book after the exhibition finished.
The purpose of doing this was to encourage close observation of the landscape and enhance the sense of connection with the natural world. By giving the opportunity to select elements from the landscape or choose a ‘frame’ or ‘fragment’ of the landscape, visitors were encouraged to choose and record, contributing to the sense of interconnectedness on the island. An interconnectedness which celebrates not just admiration of the natural landscape but a human with nature relationship.
