Guernsey artist James Colmer has compared a courier service tasked with delivering his exhibition pieces to Jersey to that of a small crustacean.
Having spent half a year preparing pieces for an exhibition at the JARO Gallery, his work has since been shipped, lost, and rediscovered, but is still yet to arrive in Jersey.
Teams tracking the shipment say it is estimated to arrive on Wednesday, which would leave the JARO Gallery just 36 hours to set up before the exhibition is due to open to the public.
“At this point I’ve become interested in alternative delivery methods,” Mr Colmer said. “A hermit crab, for example.”
“DHL are still technically ahead,” he continued, ”but the fact we’re comparing their performance to a small crustacean moving across the seabed suggests something may have gone wrong somewhere in the chain.”
The artist is frustrated, with his work valued at more than £40,000 if it were all to sell while on display in Jersey.
He’s now calling on the governments of Guernsey and Jersey to figure out the future of inter-island travel for the benefit of everyone who needs to use it.
“Surely we’re capable of finding a better solution,” he said.
“We’re two islands with centuries of shared history, modern infrastructure, and enough collective expertise to achieve extraordinary things.
“Yet somehow a collection of paintings can spend nearly two weeks attempting to travel a distance that a reasonably motivated hermit crab could plausibly complete with fewer administrative delays.”
JARO Gallery owner Jasmine Rose Noel added her voice to the call to steady the seas between the two largest Channel Islands, and spoke of her frustration at the ferry faux-pas, and the months of work it’s impacted.
“The most frustrating thing for me is that I always plan ahead and I’m meticulously organised,” she said.
“Everything is ready to go, but once again we’ve been let down by the shipping process. It makes it incredibly difficult to deliver a great exhibition or event when people are consistently battling against infrastructure challenges that sit completely outside their control.”
Due to another imminent arrival, the shipping issue has caused trouble for Ms Noel, who said she deliberately left more time to prepare for Mr Colmer’s exhibition, but that time has since been sunk into chasing the wayward artworks.
“This is the final exhibition for JARO Gallery, and because I’m pregnant with twins I very bravely, and perhaps slightly foolishly, agreed to a later date than I would normally choose,” she explained.
“I deliberately built plenty of time into the schedule so preparations could be completed calmly, allowing me to rest and avoid unnecessary stress.”
The gallery now has the daunting task of preparing the exhibition in a rapid timeframe, should the artwork arrive tomorrow.
All 20 pieces will need to be curated, and the pressure will be on.
“My biggest concern is letting down clients and collectors who have supported us, as well as an artist who has worked incredibly hard for six months to create this body of work,” said Ms Noel.
“James has done everything right. The gallery has done everything right. Yet we’re all left waiting for a shipment that has travelled 27 miles with the urgency of a contemplative hermit crab.”
Express has contacted the States of Guernsey, States of Jersey, and DHL for comment, and is awaiting responses.
More to follow…