The Perth Zoo has made outstanding strides in giving animals as much freedom as possible in a relatively small area; but to me the outstanding achievements lie in the gardens and botanical areas which simulate everything from the African Savanna to tropical rainforest.  A visit to the zoo with my grand-daughter always brings joy and pride in what the Zoo Board has achieved.

This visit was no exception, with the added delight of Jane Davenport’s exhibition set up at the entrance to, and carefully tucked away within, the tropical rainforest.  The overall impression is that of a riot of colour; brilliant greens, crimsons, pinks, yellows and orange.  She really has developed macro photography into a form that is at least as much art as it is a study of entomology.

The comical expression on the grasshopper’s face as he peeps over a giant hibiscus flower, the lady-birds trooping in solemn formation across another, the evil leer of the praying mantis, whose wickedly clawed forefeet are raised in prayer, these are all more than images of insects.  They are seen with an artist’s eye, with composition, light and colour playing as important a role in the picture as the subject’s physical attributes.

As we walked through the winding path in the rain forest, which is a fairly uniform deep green with filtered sun, every turn brought a new photo, the brilliant colours fairly leaping out of their surroundings.  It’s almost disconcerting to find oneself face to face with an insect's face blown up to be larger than one’s own – and it certainly makes even a nine year old stop, look and exclaim in delight, surprise or even revulsion at the revelation of how fearsome and ‘gross’ some insects can look.  Each photo is accompanied by a little educational information in large, clear, easy to read text suitable for primary school children and entertaining to adults as well.

This exhibition is out of the ordinary.  It crosses the boundary between art and science, and it would not surprise me to learn in the future that more than one career in fields as diverse as biology, entomology, photography, painting or even interior design had its roots in the stimulus provided to young minds by Jane’s photos.  If you haven’t been to the zoo for years – go before the end of June and see for yourself.