Nature inspires Clarendon Sixth Form College students to create ‘wild’ exhibition

The work of students at Clarendon Sixth Form College is due to go on display at Manchester Museum after they were tasked with creating a unique exhibition.

Photography students have been commissioned to create a series of images, inspired by the natural history galleries at the museum.

To gather ideas for the project, students toured the zoology and botanical galleries with the help of Dr Rachel Webster, curator of botany and Rachel Petts, curatorial assistant.

The images that the students produced include a cultural, religious or traditional object or idea that has been influenced by the natural world.

Each year Clarendon Sixth Form College photography department works in partnership with the museum to create an exhibition, which is displayed to the public throughout the summer.

Catherine Lumb, secondary and post 16 learning coordinator at Manchester Museum, said: “It is a real pleasure to work with Clarendon Sixth Form College as the students are dedicated, hardworking young people. The quality of work produced improves year on year and it’s a fantastic opportunity to demonstrate the work we do with schools and colleges.”

Claire Platt, photography teacher at Clarendon Sixth Form College, said: “The Manchester Museum project is always a great success for us. The students have already started formulating and taking the images that will be displayed and they look fantastic. The project from start to finish gives them real experience of working with a client, doing the correct research and then producing a very high quality end product. I can’t wait to see their work on display for all to see.”