The London Wetland Centre was established in 1995 and opened to the public in 2000. It was constructed on the former Barn Elms Reservoirs in Barnes, south west London.

The centre consists of a network of shallow pools and wetland meadows for birds, mammals, amphibians, reptiles and insects, interspersed with footpaths and bird hides, a bat house and observatory.

Reclaiming the land as a nature reserve has been a great success in conservation terms. Over the last 20 years the centre has welcomed a vast number of migrating birds. In 2002 Natural England designated the London Wetland Centre a Site of Special Scientific Interest for ‘supporting nationally important wintering populations of shoveler Anas clypeata and an assemblage of breeding birds associated with lowland waters and their margins’.

Wetlands Unravelled explores conflicting notions of our relationship with and management of wetland environments by focusing on the overlooked and hidden stories of the site. Found on land and in water, the artworks evolve from the sights, sounds and stories of these wetlands. Reflecting time spent with WWT conservationists, the artists respond to wetlands and their paradoxical role as both victim and saviour in the fight against the environmental emergency.

Jonathan Wright

Lizzie Cannon