The Burton at Bideford presents 'A Joyful Parasite’ by Saelia Aparicio.

The Burton at Bideford presents 'A Joyful Parasite', the largest commission to date by Spanish-born, London-based artist Saelia Aparicio. Through sculpture, murals and installation, the exhibition creates an imagined ecosystem of curious hybrid creatures, inviting visitors to explore transformation, belonging and our connections with the living world.

Playful, humorous and visually captivating, 'A Joyful Parasite' reflects The Burton's commitment to bringing ambitious contemporary art and distinctive artistic voices to North Devon. Saelia draws on folk mythologies, biology and science fiction to create imagined worlds where the boundaries between humans, animals and plants begin to dissolve. Often working with reclaimed materials, she invites us to think differently about care, coexistence and the ways living things adapt and thrive.

Commissioned by Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art, Gateshead, in partnership with Southwark Park Galleries, London, and The Burton, 'A Joyful Parasite' marks an important moment in The Burton's programme. The partnership reflects a shared commitment to supporting ambitious new commissions and ensuring that significant contemporary art is developed and experienced across the UK.

Harriet Cooper, Director of The Burton at Bideford, said: "Supporting artists to realise ambitious new work is an important part of what we do at The Burton. Through this partnership, we're delighted to bring Saelia's work to North Devon, giving audiences the chance to experience a major new commission they might otherwise have to travel elsewhere to see. What makes her work so compelling is the way it combines humour, imagination and beautifully crafted sculpture with ideas that feel deeply relevant today. It's full of warmth, curiosity and generosity, inviting us to see the natural world—and our place within it—with fresh eyes."

The title, 'A Joyful Parasite', asks us to reconsider how we value different forms of life. Inspired by the hierarchies humans often place on the natural world, Saelia imagines the perspective of a parasite—simply living the life it is meant to live. Rather than dividing the world into useful and harmful, welcome and unwelcome, the exhibition encourages us to think more generously about coexistence and the many ways living things support, depend upon and adapt to one another.

At the heart of the exhibition are three sculptural characters inspired by the butterfly’s life cycle: the caterpillar, the chrysalis and the butterfly. Together they represent different stages of transformation, offering a simple and universal metaphor for change. Visitors move through a landscape of hybrid figures that appear joyful, vulnerable and constantly evolving. Humour and tenderness sit alongside moments of unease, creating an exhibition that is both welcoming and thought-provoking.

Plants and flowers weave throughout the exhibition as symbols of identity, belonging and place. National flowers occupy positions of pride hanging from the ceiling, while overlooked plants and so-called weeds quietly flourish at the edges. Saelia is interested in how the same plant can be understood differently depending on where it grows: rhododendron ponticum is native to parts of Spain where it is now endangered, while in Britain it is widely established as an invasive species. These shifting perspectives ask us to reconsider how we define belonging and remind us that the meaning of a place—and of the life within it—is always changing.

Presented in North Devon, within the UNESCO Biosphere that stretches from the River Torridge to the surrounding coast and countryside, 'A Joyful Parasite' feels especially resonant. In a landscape shaped by the close relationship between natural systems and human activity, The Burton is a place where conversations about ecology and belonging feel especially immediate. At a time when these themes continue to shape public life, Saelia offers a hopeful response, celebrating resilience, coexistence and the possibility of flourishing in unexpected places.

Saelia Aparicio said: "Every living being just wants to live more and wants a better life. Communities aren't only a human thing—plants, animals and every living being want to thrive too. That's where the idea of 'A Joyful Parasite' comes from."

Rich with unexpected encounters, moments of wonder and playful discovery, 'A Joyful Parasite' invites visitors of all ages to look more closely at the living world and discover that transformation often begins with changing the way we see one another.

Installation View. 'Saelia Aparicio, A Joyful Parasite at Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art ©️Saelia Aparicio -Photo Reece Straw(All rights Reserved)

‘Saelia Aparicio: A Joyful Parasite’ runs from 1 st August – 4th October 2026 at The Burton at Bideford, Kingsley Road, Bideford EX39 2QQ. Free entry. For more details see www.theburton.org or get in touch at info@theburton.org. 

Opening Hours:Tuesday to Saturday 10am–5pm ] Sunday 11am–4pm

Free entry  

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Exhibition Credit/Artist Biography

A Photographic Friendship: James Ravilious and Chris Chapman’

The Burton at Bideford presents ‘A Photographic Friendship: James Ravilious and Chris Chapman’, an exhibition celebrating the remarkable artistic partnership and shared vision of two of Devon's most significant documentary photographers.

Presented as part of The Burton's 75th anniversary programme, ‘A Photographic Friendship’ reflects the museum's enduring commitment to celebrating the art, history and communities of North Devon. Developed from the acclaimed publication of the same name, the exhibition brings together a selection of works that reveal how both men documented the people, landscapes, traditions and everyday life of rural Devon over the past fifty years.

Through 15 carefully curated photographic pairings selected by Chris Chapman, the exhibition sheds new light on the creative dialogue between the two photographers, revealing the shared themes, perspectives and quiet observations that unite their work. The images offer a rich portrait of rural life, moving beyond picturesque landscapes to capture the realities of agriculture across the changing seasons. Intimate domestic moments sit alongside scenes of working farms, village shows, weddings and local traditions, while striking portraits celebrate the individuality and character of the people who shaped these communities.

Chris Chapman (born 1952) has spent more than five decades documenting the landscapes and communities of Dartmoor and the South West. After studying at Torquay School of Art and Newport College of Art under Magnum photographer David Hurn, he settled in Throwleigh in 1976, where he continues to live and work. His photographs are held in major public collections, including the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Arts Council Collection and the International Center of Photography in New York.

James Ravilious (1939–1999) moved to Devon in 1972 and became one of Britain's most celebrated documentary photographers through his evocative record of rural life in North Devon. In 2021, The Burton acquired 135 prints from ‘An English Eye’, the landmark retrospective of his work, establishing an important collection that continues to inspire new research and interpretation.

Through images that are both intimate and timeless, ‘A Photographic Friendship’ explores the unique dialogue between two friends whose work was collaborative rather than competitive, united by a deep respect for their subjects and an extraordinary ability to find beauty in the ordinary. Together, their photographs create a powerful visual archive of rural Devon, preserving its people, traditions and changing landscapes with honesty, empathy and quiet affection.

As The Burton celebrates 75 years of collecting, preserving and sharing the stories of North Devon, ‘A Photographic Friendship’ demonstrates the enduring power of photography to connect people with place, inviting audiences to discover familiar landscapes through fresh eyes while reflecting on the communities and heritage that continue to shape the region today.

Thatching the Lower Merripit Roundhouse, Dartmoor. Photo ©️Chris Chapman ( All Rights Reserved)

‘A Photographic Friendship: James Ravilious and Chris Chapman’ runs from 1st August – 4th October 2026 at The Burton at Bideford, Kingsley Road, Bideford EX39 2QQ. Free entry. For more details see www.theburton.org or get in touch at info@theburton.org.  

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 Artist biographies

Evolve Care Group Explores Creative Ways to Create Connection in Dementia Care

Evolve Care Group recently welcomed team members from across its homes and Central Support office to their Evolve Care Academy in Bristol for training sessions exploring how meaningful connections can be built with people living with a Dementia and other cognitive conditions.

The sessions, titled Seen, Heard, Valued, form part of Evolve’s ongoing commitment to ensuring that everyone, regardless of their role, develops an understanding of the people living within their homes and the approaches used to support them.

Team members working across care, kitchen, domestic, maintenance, administration and Central Support regularly attend training at the Evolve Care Academy, recognising that everyone contributes to the environment that family members (residents) call home.

Communications Assistant Ayla Melville attended one of the recent sessions to gain a deeper understanding of the principles that underpin Evolve’s approach to care.

Throughout the day, attendees took part in practical exercises designed to encourage them to think differently about communication and connection, particularly when supporting people who may find it difficult to express themselves.

The session also explored how cognitive conditions and Dementias can affect communication, memory, decision making and emotional regulation.

Clinical Head Eve Carder explained that asking multiple direct questions to some people can sometimes leave them feeling confused or overwhelmed, making it more difficult for them to engage. Instead, the training encouraged attendees to find creative ways to "change the moment", adapting their approach to build trust and meaningful connection.

Reflecting on the experience, Ayla explained that hearing real experiences shared by team members helped bring the learning to life and provided valuable context for the stories she tells through her communications role.

The Seen, Heard, Valued sessions are one of many courses delivered through the Evolve Care Academy, which provides ongoing online and in-person learning and development for team members across Evolve Care Group.

To read Ayla's full account of the training experience, visit:

Changing the Moment to Create Connection.

For more information about the learning and development delivered by Evolve Care Academy, visit https://www.evolvecareacademy.com/