Nottingham Contemporary
We are developing a wonderful partnership with Nottingham Contemporary.
In Summer 2023, Seely pupils were invited to take part in an exhibition, 'How many giraffes are in the air we breathe?' working with the artist, Eva Kotatkova. The exhibition explored the tale of a young giraffe called Lenka. Captured in 1954, Lenka was the first ever giraffe at the Prague Zoo, but survived only two years in captivity. Her body was then donated to the Natural History Museum, only to be exploited as another visitor attraction. Lenka’s life as a museum object was complicated by blunders in the preservation process, which caused the release of toxic gases and the temporary closure of Prague’s main public square. This exhibition explores this story.
The exhibition consisted entirely of a new body of commissioned work, including an audio play produced in collaboration with Seely pupils. This sound work voices a collection of narratives and responses related to Lenka’s dual lives as a living animal and as a museum object.
Our children were lucky enough to have a question and answer session in person with Eva Kotatkova at the gallery. They contributed to artwork on the walls of the exhibition, as well as providing voices in response to the story. They made props to be used by the general public for the duration of the exhibition.
We hope to work further with Nottingham Contemporary in the near future.
