Highly revered within his field as a creative, Wood’s work has been widely featured across an impressive array of media on a truly global scale, in publications such as The Guardian and The National Geographic Traveller, and many more.

Happy Families by Ian Wood

Great Apes gives a glimpse into the lives of a variety of primates, capturing some of their most intimate moments. Wood’s photos expertly convey the sheer majesty of these astounding creatures, whilst also encapsulating an innate passion for his remarkable subject matter.

The concept for the show evolved from Wood’s own concerns for the already endangered animals’ fate, in the wake of the ongoing pandemic and the subsequent impact this has undoubtedly had on previous conservation and fundraising efforts.

As such, a proportion of all proceeds raised by any images sold from the show (which also includes some additional limited edition prints signed by Ian Wood himself) will go to one of three charities: The Orangutan Foundation UK, Gorilla Doctors and The Jane Goodall Institute. Each organisation shares a common aim, to preserve the wellbeing of these proud yet inherently vulnerable creatures, whilst also acknowledging the vital role their existence plays within the wider eco-system at large.

In a further gesture of support for the above charities and the magnificent animals they work so hard to protect, the first edition of one photo of each animal has been signed by Sir David Attenborough, as well as by the renowned conservationists Dr. Jane Goodall DBE and Ashley Leiman OBE. These prints will be auctioned online (details of which can be found on The Lucy Bell Gallery website) with all funds going directly to the organisations, as previously noted.

I was sadly unable to visit Great Apes in person due to the recently imposed lockdown, but enjoyed it from afar, online, instead. It’s a testament to Ian Wood’s expertise as a photographer that I found myself utterly enthralled by the show, despite the remote context from which I was forced to view it.

The Kiss by Ian Wood

One of my favourite images: The Kiss, features two primates, one embracing the other in a near Christlike pose, which feels strangely reminiscent of a painting by one of the great masters of yesterday; whilst the arresting portrait of a female gorilla in Motherly Love is simply a wonder to behold, brimming with maternal instinct and virtuous intent.

Indeed, perhaps the over-arching message of the show is just how precious these animals are and how similar we are to them.

Great Apes is a fascinating exhibition and brings one face to face with creatures that are as complex as they are engaging – full of wisdom and hidden mirth. Yet they are also heartbreakingly fragile, and Wood’s work serves as a pertinent reminder that we all have a responsibility to nurture and preserve these incredible beings – before it’s too late.

• Great Apes is running until 17th December 2020, please refer to The Lucy Bell Gallery website for more details: lucy-bell.com

Coming soon: You can listen to Mia’s interview with Ian Wood in a forthcoming Arts episode of the HIP podcast. Please refer to our website for further information hastingsindependentpress.co.uk

No trawling will be allowed at any time of year over an area in excess of 300 square kilometres, stretching out for up to 4km from the shoreline in the west of the county to a rather narrower breadth off the coast of Hastings. The aim is to restore a vast underwater kelp forest which has been torn from the sea floor by repeated passage of trawling vessels without sufficient interval for natural regeneration.

A partnership of pressure groups comprising the Blue Marine Foundation, Marine Conservation Society, Sussex Wildlife Trust and Big Wave Productions joined forces to campaign for the ban, and Sir David Attenborough lent his support in October 2019 when he provided the voice-over to a film, Help Our Kelp – see https://sussexwildlifetrust.org.uk/helpourkelp – which showcases the wealth of wildlife to be found in the diverse kelp habitat.

Kelp Forest Canopy
PICTURE: Andy Jackson/Sussex Wildlife Trust

DEFRA Approval

The new byelaw is now being passed to the Secretary of State at DEFRA for approval before it can be implemented. Sussex IFCA say they are hoping for rapid signing off before another year of trawling further damages the sea-bed.

There was never any question of interference by the European Union, either before or after the Brexit legislation, according to Dr Sean Ashworth, deputy chief fisheries and conservation officer at Sussex ICFA. These near-shore waters have always been a matter for national or regional regulation. Dr Ashworth concedes that not all individual fishermen from Sussex or elsewhere will be entirely pleased with the new prohibition. “Some will be happy, others less happy”, he says. But those who recognise that the fishing industry must maintain stocks in a sustainable way should welcome it. 

Tackling Climate Change

Kelp once stretched along 40 km of the West Sussex coastline from Selsey to Shoreham, forming an underwater forest that extended at least 4 km seaward. It provided a vital habitat, nursery and feeding ground for seahorses, cuttlefish, lobster, sea bream and bass.  It also locked up huge quantities of carbon, helping to combat global climate change, while improving water quality and reducing coastal erosion by absorbing the power of ocean waves.

But within living memory, kelp in Sussex waters has diminished to almost nothing. Storm damage, changing fishing practices and the dumping of sediment spoils by dredging boats have taken their toll on this sensitive habitat.  The wildlife associated with it has all but disappeared, and the vital ecosystem services it provided have been lost. The aim is now to bring it all back.

Charles Clover, executive director of the Blue Marine Foundation, said: “This is an initiative that tackles climate change and overfishing impacts all at once, the first of its kind in the UK. This is exactly what we need to be doing in marine habitats all over the world”.