A groundbreaking exhibition at The Bowes Museum is to be introduced next year, allowing people to delve into the world of birds.

Murmuration will give those interested the ability to explore avian symbolism in art, and trace its significance across cultures and time, by presenting a wide selection of work from artists and makers from various generations, backgrounds and genres whose work ranges from drawing, sculpture, film and installation.

Alongside this, the exhibition will raise awareness of the importance of the environment, regarding human impact, and promote concern for the necessity of individual and collective change to a more sustainable future on a shared and increasingly fragile planet.

The County Durham museum will show the pivotal role that birds play as indicators to the health of the environment, reflecting the urgent climate crisis.

Vicky Sturrs, The Bowes Museum's director of programmes and collections, said: "This is a timely exhibition that showcases the museum's vast and varied collection, exhibiting a number of previously unseen works from our stores alongside contemporary pieces that, together, explore our human impact in and on the natural world.”

The show includes works by names such as Bethan Maddocks, Bentley Beetham, Sally Madge among many others, featuring a mix of contemporary and historical works in a series of themes around belonging, collection, crisis and symbolism.

The Northern Echo: Icarus and Other Fallen Angels by Henna Asikainen, one of the pieces to feature in the Bowes Museum

Vicky added: “We have some stunning pieces on show from artists, designers and makers that, although centuries apart, speak to similar ideas, documenting and commenting on our impact on the planet.

Most read:

Get more from The Northern Echo with a Premium Plus digital subscription from as little as only £1.50 a week.

"This show will, through a host of visual treats, promote thinking and action for us as individuals and as humankind, to slow the decline of climate change."

The exhibition will be accompanied by a public programme of radical ecology events aimed at adults.

Murmuration opens on January 27, 2024, and runs until 23 June 23.