Explore the relationship between Jamaica and an endangered butterfly with Dolphin Head Mountain at the Horniman Museum. Artist Harun Morrison shares findings and experiences from the museum archives, and sheds light on repopulation efforts for the Jamaican Swallowtail Butterfly.

When: Until April 2023

Where: Horniman Museum

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A solitary crocodile on a log, a telepathic butterfly, and a map of mining activity across Jamaica invite you to consider the connections as well as conflicts between conservation and different forms of extraction.

Dolphin Head Mountain is a shifting display by London based artist Harun Morrison. It shares his immersion in the ‘backstage’ areas of the Museum including the collection stores and also curators’ offices. 

Findings and fictions are woven alongside a focus on the Jamaican Swallowtail Butterfly. This species is present in the original Horniman Collection. 

The display references the species’ endangered status, and efforts to repopulate the butterfly in substitutes for its original habitat. Multiple factors, which includes mining for aluminium, have hampered these efforts.

The mountain is one of the proposed locations for the butterfly’s repopulation, named for its similarity to the sea mammal.

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