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This summer, giant tortoises are taking over Jersey in an extraordinary, free public art trail across the island's wild places, coastal vistas and urban hangouts.
The funds generated from the 'Tortoise Takeover' sculptures – which have been sponsored by local businesses and will be actioned off at the end of the trail – will be used to build a new amphibian and reptile house at Jersey Zoo.
Supporting the 'Tortoise Takeover' initiative as its official media partner, Express is getting behind the scenes of the trail to bring you a comprehensive guide of all 50 of the giant tortoises and the inspiration behind each sculpture's bespoke artwork.
Find out more about the the next five tortoises in the trail here...
About the tortoise: Dodo Tortoise is an homage to the extinct dodo, the iconic symbol of Jersey Zoo, which was chosen by the founder Gerald Durrell as a reminder of man's wanton environmental destruction. The design aims to remind us of species that are yet to become "dead as a dodo" and to protect the many creatures that are still among us.
Artist: Marta Zubieta
About the artist: Maria is a Spanish artist, muralist and illustrator. Her work explores pop culture, social media, psychedelia and nature. She takes inspiration from 1990s cartoons, sci-fi, pop-surreal art and latin folklore to create adult illustrations for 'forever teenagers'.
Location: West's Centre
Sponsor: Quilter Cheviot
About the tortoise: 'Eco Ninja' is a conservation warrior who comes out of the shadows to protect the most vulnerable species from extinction. He is especially fond of aye-ayes and jumping rats who share his love for shadows. 'Eco Ninja' never goes anywhere without a slice of pizza to keep his energy up.
Artist: Amy Jackson
About the artist: Amy works at Durrell and is therefore close to the project to raise funds to build a new Tropical House. “It’s a fun design, it’s really colourful and I think it should hopefully make people smile – it is a conservation warrior who helps endangered species," she said of her design.
Location: Coronation Park (Millbrook)
Sponsor: Rubis Channel Islands
About the tortoise: 'Eden' has her own jungle on her back, inspired by the habitats that tortoises call home. Each flower, insect and lizard was created individually in anodised aluminium. All the metal was hand-printed and dyed. The colours were then sealed in before the metal was cut by hand using a jewellers' piercing saw. Each element was then filled and finished, before being formed and attached to the shell.
Artist: Caroline Parrott
About the artist: Dorset-based jeweller-by-trade Caroline creates colourful jewellery using her hand-printed and coloured aluminium – from one-off bespoke pieces for special occasions to limited collections of bangles and pendants. She comes from a family of creatives, with her father a Design Engineer for the RNLI, her mother a keen textile artist, and her sister drawing and sewing. She juggled her Applied Arts Degree and running her creative business with a job working for an arts organisation managing their education programme, before taking the plunge in 2017 to become a full-time 'maker'.
She shares her little studio shop with long-time friend and fantastic jeweller Wendy Nutt, based at Walford Mill in the beautiful market town of Wimborne in Dorset. In her spare time, she is fan of Cornwall and all things sea-based.
Location: Gorey Promenade
Sponsor: Santander International
About the tortoise: Biodiversity is the variety of life on Earth. It is inherently good and vital for our wellbeing. But biodiversity is rapidly declining as we become more detached from nature and see it as a resource to be exploited for financial gain. The population of mammal, birds, fish, amphibians and reptiles dropped by 69% since 1970. 'Everything Is Connected' features biodiversity stripes that have been developed by Professor Miles Richardson based on data from the Living Planet Index. The swirling lines overlaying the stripes represent the connection between all living things on this planet.
Artist: Ian Rolls
About the artist: One of Jersey's best known artists, Ian Rolls was born in Banbury in Oxfordshire, England, in 1957. He later moved to Jersey, where he was educated at Victoria College, before going on to study an Art Foundation at the Bristol College of Art. Following this, he undertook a fine Art Degree at Coventry College of Art and a Postgraduate Diploma in the Conservation of Easel Paintings at Gateshead Technical College.
Location: Charing Cross
Sponsor: RSM CI
About the tortoise: 'Gaia' reflects the intricacy of ecosystems, not just on a small scale, but of our entire Earth. 'Gaia' aims to show the importance and connection between the tiniest beetle, to a flower, tree, whale, elephant and everything living in balance. Most importantly, 'Gaia' serves as a reminder to protect and care for every element, at every level of these ecosystems within nature, to keep the balance of our Earth, and to sustain a healthy planet.
Artist: Lauren Radley
About the artist: Lauren Radley is a Jersey-based freelance illustrator and a designer of beautiful, fun, colourful prints, stationery and other illustrated loveliness for your home, aiming to bring a little bit of joy into your everyday.
Location: King Street
Sponsor: Prosperity 24/7
Pick up a copy of the July edition of Connect Magazine for your FREE official Tortoise Takeover trail guide or check out the digital edition below...
Express is proud to be the media partner for this year's Tortoise Takeover. Sign up to our daily news email for all the latest updates.
MEET THE TORTOISES #1: A berry good shell-ection of sculptures
MEET THE TORTOISES #2: Strike a cosmic connection with a p'tit pal
This article was put together with the help of Sadie Taylor, who was on Trident Work Experience with Bailiwick Express.
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