Joyous South Downs exhibition explores union of wildlife and farming

Joyous South Downs exhibition explores union of wildlife and farming

July 11, 2022

From barn owls and brown hares, to harvest mice and hairstreak butterflies, a new exhibition takes you on a journey of discovery to meet iconic farmland species in the South Downs.

The exhibition, showing at Gilbert White’s House Museum until 14 August, is a collaboration between natural history illustrator Rachel Hudson and Hampshire farmer group, the Selborne Landscape Partnership (SLP).

The exhibition champions species we are in danger of losing and shows how the restoration of field margins, from hedgerows to wildflower strips, is making a positive difference. It is also a call to action to support local farmers who are supporting wildlife.

The exhibition is in two parts. The Selborne Bestiary is a wall display of nine illustrated portraits of species that the SLP is supporting through conservation. It is a visual metaphor for declining species in isolated habitat fragments and the importance of joining up habitats.

What happens in between the squares of The Selborne Bestiary and how these species can thrive in the contemporary farmed landscape, is explored in ‘Margins’. Three two-metre high vertical ‘Margins’- Hedge, Edge, Strip – show what life can look like when these habitats are planted, managed and reconnected by farmers and volunteers across the landscape. Each margin will reveal the energy and struggles of spring, summer and autumn, from the viewpoints of the animals themselves.

Kate Faulkner, from Selborne Landscape Partnership, said: “‘From the Margins’ is a very joyous and uplifting exhibition where Rachel Hudson’s contemporary illustrations beautifully depict how farming and nature conservation work side by side.”