Sensing Nature exhibition, curated by local young people, has a hugely successful opening weekend

The Sensing Nature exhibition at Babylon Gallery had a very successful opening weekend.

From a visit from the Secretary of State for Culture to a wonderful turnout for the official
opening event, this exhibition is off to a great start.

On Friday 1st March, Sensing Nature opened at Babylon Gallery. This multi-sensory
exhibition comprises of a variety of artwork, including sound pieces, tactile artworks that
visitors are invited to handle and touch, and visual artworks, some of which have been
translated into raised drawings. Elements of the exhibition also explore scent and taste. An
audio guide has been created for the exhibition, which guides visitors around the displays, with detailed descriptions of specific artworks.

The Secretary of State for Culture, Lucy Frazer paid a visit to the gallery on its opening day and spent time looking around the exhibition and talking to the Babylon ARTS team.

“I enjoyed meeting the team at Babylon ARTS – led by CEO Michael Corley – and exploring
the beautiful variety of creative work on display!” Lucy Frazer posted on Facebook.

On Saturday 2nd March, an official opening event was held. This was attended by composer Tom Adams, artist Kaitlin Ferguson, and many other artists who were selected from the open call. The day was a celebration of the hard work put in by so many people throughout this project, with talks given by Michael Corley, CEO of Babylon ARTS, and by two members of Basecoat Collective, the group of young curators who curated this exhibition.

“We all agreed very early on that we wanted the exhibition to have a multi-sensory aspect
to it,” said Bethany Haysom, Young Curator and member of Basecoat Collective:

“We were determined to make it a fun and accessible experience that extended beyond the traditional visual confines of an exhibition.”

Sensing Nature is part of a wider project called Inspired by Nature, funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Babylon ARTS are working in partnership with Ely Museum, RNIB and the National Trust’s Wicken Fen Nature Reserve to develop creative approaches that facilitate connection and engagement with nature for people with low vision, children, young people and the wider public.

Sensing Nature is on from Friday 1st March at Babylon Gallery until Sunday 24th March.

Babylon Gallery is open Tuesday to Sunday, 12pm to 4pm with free entry.

Press release from Babylon ARTS