Britain from the Air exhibition to open in Nottingham city centre

The Britain from the Air exhibition begins an eleven and a half week residency in Nottingham on Thursday 8 December. The exhibition offers unique perspectives of some of the UK’s most striking and thought-provoking landscapes through more than 100 contemporary aerial images in a large-scale street gallery.

Free to view and accessible 24 hours a day, this extraordinary outdoor exhibition offers visitors the chance to see Britain as they have never seen it before.

Britain from the Air’s opening on 8 December marks the return of one of the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG)’s most acclaimed exhibitions and the first time that the exhibition will have been seen in Nottinghamshire.

The exhibition features stunning new photos of Nottingham from the air, including images of Nottingham Castle, Goose Fair, the Old Market Square and Nottingham Forest’s City Ground.

Created jointly by the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) and street gallery pioneers Wecommunic8, the exhibition arrives in Nottingham as a key part of the Society’s drive to engage the public with the geography of the UK. Its panels explore the dynamic processes that shape our landscapes but are often forgotten about.

The Society’s work to reconnect the public with the diverse landscapes and geography of the UK also includes Discovering Britain, an integrated set of self-led walk, trails and viewpoints that are available to the public at no cost. Nottingham’s caves were a central focus of Discovering Britain’s public launch in May 2016.

Dr. Rita Gardner, Director of the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG), said:

“Britain from the Air provides a fantastic opportunity to see Britain’s natural and human landscapes from a unique perspective and to explore the social, economic and environmental forces that shaped them.

“We’re delighted that Britain from the Air will be on display in Nottingham. I encourage everyone to visit the exhibition while it is on display in Nottingham’s city centre.”

Britain from the Air is supported by world travel clothing company Craghoppers, the Ernest Kleinwort Charitable Trust and Rolex. It was brought to Nottingham by Nottingham City Council.

Councillor Dave Trimble, Nottingham City Council Portfolio Holder for Leisure and Culture, said:

“Newly-pedestrianised Station Street is quickly building a reputation for public art, with the innovative Line of Light poetry installation and now this fabulous street exhibition. It will offer a fantastic welcome to visitors arriving in the city over Christmas and the New Year as well as giving local people a new insight into views of Nottingham and surrounding areas. We are delighted that the exhibition will also add an exciting new dimension to the city’s tenth Light Night, which will be taking place on 10 February.”

Chris Bridge, Wecommunic8 exhibition director, said:

“Britain from the Air’s residency on Station Street will provide an opportunity for residents, tourists, commuters, to come and visit the exhibition for free and return with friends, family and work colleagues over the holiday period and enjoy it many times before it closes at the end of February."

The exhibition will be displayed on Station Street (next to Nottingham train station). It runs in Nottingham from 8 December until 28 February, before visiting Liverpool later in 2017.

ENDS

For further media enquiries, please contact the RGS-IBG’s Communications and Media Officer, Scott Edwards, at s.edwards@rgs.org or 020 7591 3019.
Notes to editors:

1. A selection of images can be requested from Scott Edwards (details above). Further information at www.rgs.org/bfta

2. The Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) is the learned society and professional body for geography. Formed in 1830, the Society supports and promotes geographical research, education, fieldwork and expeditions for all, public engagement, informed policy making and professional accreditation of geographers. We also hold the world's largest private geographical collection, accessible to the public. www.rgs.org

3. Wecommunic8 are the highly acclaimed pioneers of street galleries, working in city centres to combine powerful imagery with informative captions in order to communicate, educate and stimulate. Founded in 2002, Wecommunic8 created the now iconic ‘Earth from the Air’. Other exhibits include ‘Spirit of the Wild’, ‘Edge of the circle’, CARE International, the WWF ‘Arctic on the Edge’ in Copenhagen, ‘Tarnished Earth’ for WWF and Greenpeace, and the ‘UN Year of the Co-operatives’ national tour. Britain from the Air’s residency in Nottingham’s city centre follows Wecommunic8’s highly successful street galley linked to Nottingham’s World War One centenary commemoration ‘Trent to trenches’.

4. Craghoppers started making clothing specifically designed for the outdoors back in 1965. A group of guys in West Yorkshire were planning to climb Everest and wanted gear to withstand the harshest of conditions, so they researched and designed fabrics that would protect them from the extreme cold. This was the birth of Craghoppers. Now based in Manchester, they have continued to develop fabrics and clothing designed to protect their customers, wherever they travel and whatever the climate. Craghoppers is currently distributed in over 20 countries worldwide and sold direct to over 100. www.craghoppers.com