Jade Maloyd

Nature & Nurture

In my project "Dual Realities: The contrast of wild & confined” I explore the lives of native African animals, contrasting their existence in the vibrant expanse of the bushveld with the enclosed realities of zoo life. Through a series of large-scale colour photographic prints of animals in their natural habitats and large-scale black-and-white photographic prints capturing their lives in zoos, I aim to illuminate the complexities of their experiences and identities, as well as photography’s long standing relationship with the native African wildlife.

The bushveld not only represents a physical environment, but also the vital ecosystem of the native African bush, where these African animals thrive in their natural habit, existing in their natural behaviours, relationships and instincts. In contrast, the zoo represents a constrained poor simulacrum of the reality of the African bush. Whilst the zoo provides the safety and care that many of the wild animals will never experience in their natural habitat, it often strips these captive animals of their natural autonomy and authentic selves. This juxtaposition invites viewers to engage with the reality of these animals, appreciating both their wildness and the complexities of their existence in a rapidly changing world.