The team behind the 12ft puppet of a 10-year-old Syrian refugee have now launched a new public art project to raise awareness of climate change., the latest offering from The Walk Productions is of a growing herd of life-size puppet animals.
Next year they will travel north along a 20,000km route from the Congo Basin in central Africa to the Arctic Circle in Norway to represent migration due to climate change.HUGO GLENDINNINGAs the Herd project travels across two continents, the production company said it would be "invaded" by herds of puppet animals fleeing to escape climate disaster.
It will grow in scale and variety, with new species characteristic of each region added, organisers said. The first puppets, which are made from recycled materials including wood and cardboard, have been built and tested by students at the Wimbledon College of Arts, part of University of the Arts London.
Prototypes were designed and developed by Ukwanda Puppets and Designs Art Collective in South Africa and the project's artistic director, Amir Nizar Zuabi.Getty ImagesMr Nizar Zuabi said it would "offer audiences across the world a stark artistic image, overwhelming in grandeur and alarm".