Bringing Bloom to life
Tuesday 26 August 2025
Internationally acclaimed artist Stuart Semple is no stranger to Durrell. Stuart painted a gorilla sculpture for Go Wild Gorillas in 2019 and a tortoise sculpture for Tortoise Takeover in 2023. This year, he’s back and has created Bloom to celebrate Gerry’s legacy and add even more colour to Jersey Zoo.
You can visit our Bloom art installation in Les Augres Manor courtyard at Jersey Zoo until September. You can even take part and own a piece of Bloom by purchasing a flower sculpture from the installation. Go to www.durrell.org/bloom to get yours now!

When did you realise you wanted to be an artist?
When I was eight, my mum took me to the National Gallery, and I saw Van Gogh's sunflowers. It did something to me and I became obsessed. I didn't know what an artist was then; I thought they were extinct, like dodos, because they were in museums. But I knew I wanted to make stuff.
When I was 19, I had a near-death experience whilst at art school. It changed everything, including my art. My art became a way to try and understand the world. Something that I needed to do. It wasn't anything about a career or a job. Being an artist was more than that.

How would you describe your art to someone who has never seen it?
I think it would be almost impossible to explain it. I work across lots of different outcomes — film, design, sculpture, installation. I even research and formulate my own colours. I'd say that it's always about some kind of inclusivity and tends to deal with themes of connection and perhaps generosity somehow. I believe art can have a social function, so I try to make work that makes some kind of difference, even if that's small. I hope the work I make is accessible and relatable.
What’s your greatest achievement?
Still being here! I'm so lucky to be able to get up every day and make my work, 25 years on. That's the biggest thing. Still having ideas of what to make next and the fact that I've not lost the pull to make stuff. That's the lucky thing.

What led to you working with Durrell?
I've always loved what Durrell does. I'm from Bournemouth, and my grandmother used to hang out with the Durrell family when she was a kid. They lived a few roads apart. I first visited the zoo when I was eight and was totally captivated by the work happening there. I walked around with a dodo badge on for about a year. It now lives on the fridge! I think it was the zoo that really tuned me into ideas of conservation, ecology and the natural world. My love of animals stemmed from that first visit. It's amazing how transformative an experience like that is for a kid.
What does Bloom mean to you?
It's a celebration. It's about colour. It's a hopeful installation that shows the vibrancy of nature. None of us would be here without the wild world. It's an honour really, to be able to create something like this to remember Gerry and celebrate his big birthday. He's a bit of a hero of mine. I really hope that it inspires visitors to think about wildlife and, perhaps, if they have a flower at home, reminds them that we are custodians on this planet and that we need to step into that responsibility.

Can you tell us more about making the flower sculptures?
It's been a real journey. It all started with a series of drawings of Gerry's favourite wildflowers based on some text that he wrote for a book called The Flower Game.
Then, I worked to sculpt the flowers in 3D and used the computer. We created so many versions of each flower, making them stronger and more beautiful. It took months to get them just right, 3D printing each version. Meanwhile, I worked on the colour palette, which meant getting into the lab and formulating a series of colours inspired by some of the iconic animals who have lived at the zoo over the years. There was a lot of experimentation in the materials too, because to me it was important that they were made from ecologically sound elements. That ended up being plant-based resin that is strong enough to survive outside. It's been a mixture of art, technology and science, and a lot of learning and experimentation.
Which of the Bloom flowers is your favourite?
I'm totally obsessed with the chrysanthemum. It's so rich in its form, there's a lot going on with it and it was the most difficult to work out. It crashed the 3d printers so many times. It's just beautiful and complex and one of nature's little miracles.