Tortoise Trail.
Jersey Mutual has been at the heart of our community since 1869 and we’re excited to share our Durrell Wild in Art Sculpture with you. Our community Tortoise statue perfectly captures a day at the zoo, which is why our team chose it.
Win £100 with Jersey Oak.
Answer the question correctly for a chance to win a £100 voucher for Jersey Oak. They are a neighbour of ours, Genuine Jersey Member, and they offer everything you need to make your house a home, conveniently located just across the road from our Jersey Mutual office.
“Who is the artist behind our community Tortoise sculpture?”
- A winner will be randomly selected on [date] and notified by email
- The winner will collect their voucher from Jersey Mutual, One Seaton Place
- Browse the fantastic furniture, homeware, and décor at Jersey Oak and complete your purchase!
Tortoise Takeover, Jersey Mutual Competition Terms and Conditions:
- The Tortoise Takeover competition is open to residents of Jersey aged 18 and over, except employees of Jersey Mutual and their immediate family members.
- To enter, participants must unlock the Tortoise Takeover feature on the Wild in Art app and answer the question on our website “Who is the artist behind our community Tortoise sculpture?”
- The competition opens on 1st July and closes on 31st August. Entries received after the closing date will not be considered.
- One winner will be randomly selected from the correct entries received.
- The winner will receive a £100 Jersey Oak Home voucher.
- The voucher cannot be exchanged for cash or any other alternatives.
- The winner will be notified via email or phone within 14 days of the competition closing date.
- If the winner cannot be contacted or does not claim the prize within 14 days of notification, a new winner will be selected.
- By entering the competition, participants agree to allow Jersey Mutual to use their name for promotional purposes.
- Jersey Mutual reserves the right to cancel or modify the competition if unforeseen circumstances arise.
- The decision of Jersey Mutual in all matters relating to the competition is final.
- Participants are responsible for ensuring they have the necessary permissions and rights to submit their entry.
- Personal information provided during the competition will be handled in accordance with Jersey Mutual’s Privacy Policy.
- By participating in the competition, participants agree to these terms and conditions.
- These terms and conditions are subject to change without prior notice.
Meet our Artist.
Miranda Bonn
Jersey based textile designer Miranda Bonn has been inspired by her regular visits to the zoo with her three young children. All of the drawings in ‘A Day At The Zoo’ are original paintings arranged into a repeated print design
Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how you became involved in the Durrell and Wild in Art Trail?
I’m a mum of 3 and a printed textile designer. Another mum at my son’s nursery had seen some of my art in an exhibition and told me about the tortoise trail, encouraging me to submit a design, I’d already had the idea of a Jersey zoo print so thought this was a good opportunity to design it!
What inspired you to create the Jersey Mutual tortoise sculpture titled ‘A Day at the Zoo’?
I have 3 young children and we make regular visits to the zoo. As a textile designer most of my work is inspired by nature so naturally our zoo visits have been very inspiring to me and I wanted to create a print design based on our visits for a while, so thought it was quite apt creating it for the tortoise.
How did you approach the creative process for this particular sculpture? Did you have a specific vision in mind or did it evolve as you worked on it?
I knew I wanted to have a repeating pattern of the zoo so I approached the design in my usual way, drawing from my photos and collaging these together to create the artwork before painting it. I worked out how to put it onto the tortoise later.
What message or emotion were you hoping to convey through your artwork?
It’s a bit of fun, I hope people can enjoy spotting familiar animals from the zoo, hidden amongst the plants and trees.
Did you draw inspiration from any specific artists or art movements while working on this project?
I painted ‘A day at the zoo’ in the style of some fabric I designed previously which was originally inspired by a book of Matisse’s loose drawings. I then developed my drawings by adding colour but keeping the same free style.
Were there any challenges or obstacles you encountered during the creation of the sculpture? How did you overcome them?
The original artwork is a repeat design in 2D so It was a little tricky working out how to wrap the design around the Tortoise so it still looked like a repeat. I did a lot of cutting out print outs of the design and laying them on the tortoise to see what looked best.
Can you share any interesting or memorable moments you experienced while working on this project
I enjoyed going into our barn, having a bit of time out of our busy life to paint the giant tortoise and then the kids popping in and spotting different animals they recognised.
How do you hope viewers will interact with and respond to your sculpture when they encounter it on the trail?
From a far you can’t really see what is going on on the tortoise but hopefully when people come up close, like my children did, they will find it quite fun spotting all the different animals from the zoo, a familiar place to so many.
What advice would you give to aspiring artists who are interested in using their creativity to support environmental causes?
I’m not sure I can give advice but I guess it’s always good to use your gifts and abilities for good causes if the right opportunities arise.
1What do you find most rewarding about being an artist and participating in public art events like the Durrell and Wild in Art Trail?
I love to paint and create artwork so to do this and help a great cause too is a win win.
