Jungle City animals have been living in the Botanic Garden Edinburgh for the last month. Today they were freed at the National Gallery of Scotland to be temporarily homed around the city to attract attention before their auction on September 28 2011. This will be Edinburgh’s largest outdoor art exhibition on record.
Last year the charity organised the Elephant Parade in London where there were many very lovely designs. It seems that Jack Vettriano’s Singing Butler has become a recurring theme, but this time the butler is riding on the back of an endangered tiger. All of the sculptures are for sale and have been decorated by a spectrum of world class mosaic artists, fine artists, graffiti artists, jewelry designers and international fashion houses.
It is hoped that Jungle City will raise over £100m over the next ten years to reconnect parts of the forest where human intervention has caused some of the disruption to the species.
The 130 animals are now being moved to locations such as Harvey Nicols, The Sheraton Grand, the Hilton Caledonian Hotel, Grassmarket, The Royal Mile, Edinburgh Airport, Princes Street Gardens, Multrees Walk, The Meadows and a wide variety of locations in the city centre. More than fifty of the animals can ‘talk’. Audio guides and route maps are available from the Harvey Nichols shop will entertain visitors as they follow the safari route around the city. Famous voices have brought the animals to life including Andrea Corr, Dame Rula Lenska, Danny Bhoy and Forth One presenters Boogie, Dingo and Arlene.
We interviewed Mark Shand, the founder of the charity the Elephant Family, which aims to raise about £1m for its own work and a further six UK conservation charities from this outdoor exhibition. We also spoke with Sabine Roemur, a goldsmith who designed Goldie Hawn Bill, which can be seen in Harvey Nichols, and finally representatives of Fettes College who have their very own stripey tiger…just like their blazers!
