Location: Jersey International Finance Centre, St Helier, 2019. Go Wild Gorillas
Launched by Durrell in partnership with Wild in Art, the 'Go Wild Gorillas' public art trail helped celebrate the charity’s 60th anniversary and raise funds for a new state-of-the-art gorilla house at Jersey Zoo.
The process
“Public art trails are amazing,” he said. “Not only do they bring so much colour to a city or island, but they are a great way for families and groups to get out and see more of their local area and visit new places.
“The fact that our sculptures will be auctioned off to raise money for Durrell Wildlife Conversation Trust is brilliant.”
Named ‘Creative Vibes’, my design incorporates patterns from areas where coffee originates from – a nod to the gorilla’s sponsor, Cooper and Co – in vibrant colours and textures.
“I wanted to create an abstract representation of the feeling of being mega inspired creatively and where my inspiration comes from,” he explained. “A lot of inspiration comes from world cultures and nature. Nature is an amazing grounding element for our minds and visually stimulating.”
The reaction from the public
#CreativeVibes Gorilla was loved by the public with many taking photos with the sculpture and sharing them across social media.
“The secret to sculpture customisation is fluidity,” he added, explaining that some elements of a 2D design do not always work 100% when translated to a 3D form.
“I always look forward to seeing the sculpture in person because I always ask myself, ‘How can I make it better? How can I really take advantage of the curves, space and shapes and improve the design?’ This connects really well with my freestyle ink drawing too.”
The final sculpture
The artwork is an abstract representation inspired by nature, various cultures and brought to life using colour, textures and intricate ink patterns. For the base layer I used an acrylic wash and a dripping technique to create this awesome textured background. The stance of the gorilla is very powerful and I wanted to enhance this, so I used a different colour on each leg blending them together on the back. The colours used are fluorescent orange, yellow, green and pink which will definitely help make the stance stand out from a distance.
Gorillas are majestic, powerful yet gentle animals, and one of our closest living relatives. But they are in peril. Gorillas in the wild have been pushed to the brink of extinction due to habitat loss, hunting, wildlife trade and the spread of infectious disease. Jersey Zoo has been home to these majestic apes for 60 years, successfully breeding them and training conservationists to protect these gentle giants.
Go Wild Gorillas is a celebration of the remarkable work achieved at Jersey Zoo and in the wild to protect threatened species from extinction. Educating the next generation and inspiring them to be better connected to nature is pivotal to Durrell’s mission to significantly improve the fortunes of threatened wildlife around the world.
Information
Name: Creative Vibes
Location: JIFC - Trenton Square, St Helier, Jersey
Client: Copper & co
Materials - Fiberglass sculpture. Acrylic paint, metallic, coloured and black ink.
Charity: Durrell Zoo
Sold at auction Related hashtags: #gowildgorillas #creativevibes
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