Dr Christian Dunn, a senior lecturer in the School of Natural Sciences, worked with a professional artist and the British Ecological Society to make the “Love our Bogs” piece.
The artwork is now on display in a virtual exhibition for the Edinburgh Science Festival, where visitors can look around at other pieces and find out how they were created.
Dr Dunn worked with artist Holly McKelvey to develop their piece, which highlights how important peatlands, like bogs and fens, are for wildlife, the climate and human wellbeing.
Peatlands are our most important terrestrial carbon stores: they store carbon for glacial time periods in the semi-decomposed organic “goo” that makes up the peat-soil.
“They also help keep our drinking water clean, can help control flooding events, and can be some of the last pockets of wilderness we have.
“Couple all that with the fact peatlands can be teeming with unique and rare wildlife and it really is no surprise that we call them nature’s superheroes!
“Working with an artist as inspirational as Holly was brilliant as it really made me think about the science in a different way.
“It also helped me get across the message that our bogs aren’t the bleak unwelcoming places that many people think they are, but instead they are beautiful habitats that massively affect our landscape, climate and indeed our modern lives.”
“Even if you live cocooned away in a city you still rely on bogs for so much – which is why we should all love our bogs,” Dr Dunn added.
The exhibition for the Edinburgh Science Festival was organised by the British Ecological Society who teamed-up artists with scientists.
To visit the online exhibition visit: https://www.sciencefestival.co.uk/event-details/british-ecological-society-online-exhibition-six-predictions-for-edinburghs-future-green-spaces-
For more information on the artworks and the people behind them visit: https://www.britishecologicalsociety.org/events/edinburgh-science-festival-2021/future-green-spaces
Images by Holly McKelvey to highlight the importance of peatlands.
