A new work curated by the women of HMP & YOI Cornton Vale has gone on display at Perth Museum and Art Gallery.

Inspired by the impact of climate change, the work is entitled ‘The Chaos of Us’ and results from a collaboration between Culture Perth and Kinross, Fife College, and the Scottish Prison Service. It explores important topics such as extinction, human activity, and the natural world, inviting visitors to consider what a supermarket shop would look like if bees were extinct.

“Can you imagine having to take everything out of your shopping trolley, leaving nothing but bread and oatmeal? The survival of butterflies and bees is vital to sustaining much of the food we eat. We rely on them to pollinate the plants and trees that produce chocolate, coffee, fruit and much more. The decline of the butterfly and bee population will profoundly affect the food we will eat in the future. Only the wind scattered seed crops will survive, leaving us just with oats and wheat.”

Through a series of workshops organised by Fife College Learning Centre, the group considered the impact of climate change. Members of the group blamed humans for destroying the planet; others talked about all the precious and innocent animals we might lose if we were not careful.

Commenting on the project, Fife College said that the women involved had learned a great deal about the effects of global warming during their research. The group greeted the invitation to participate in the project with enthusiasm, as it allowed them to share the resulting work with their families and communities outside prison.

Through researching and working together, the group came to the same conclusion. Humans are in chaos, and we need to do more to save our planet, animals, children, and ourselves.

The Chaos of Us is on display at Perth Museum and Art Gallery until March 14 2022.