10/09/2026
“Wild, Still”. A Visual Study of Isolation, Adaptation, and the Ecological Legacy of the Wild Cattle of Swona.
By Josh Spindler.
4th September – 23rd September 2026
"Wild, Still" brings together art and scientific research to explore the UK's only truly wild cattle herd, living on Swona, an uninhabited island in the Pentland Firth, one of Europe's most treacherous stretches of water. Over two years, photographer Josh Spindler built the project, working closely with Howie Firth, of the Orkney Science Festival, learning from the Annal family to understand the island, its history, and its remarkable cattle, and bringing archaeologist Ingrid Mainland on board, to create an exhibition that reveals Swona from an entirely new perspective.
For the first time, the skeleton of a Swona cow is displayed alongside contemporary photography, bone scans, and laboratory imagery. Together, these works examine themes of wilderness, adaptation, isolation, and the enduring impact of human absence. By combining artistic practice with scientific investigation, “Wild, still” offers a rare insight into this extraordinary population while reflecting on our evolving relationship with wild animals and the ecological heritage of Orkney.
