By now, the city is no stranger to animal sculpture installations popping up all around the Big Smoke. Whether that’s a band of gorillas, a tower of giraffes, or a shrewdness of chimpanzees, these delightful sculptures liven up the city whilst conveying poignant messages about animal conservation. We also get a kick when we learn the surprising and odd names of groups of animals along the way (a shrewdness of chimpanzees?).
Renowned sculpture duo, Gillie and Marc, have done it again, creating a new sculpture installation just behind St Paul’s Cathedral in Paternoster Square where you’ll find a group of adorable sculptures of baby animals that are sadly endangered. The young animals aren’t alone though as they are joined by their universal mother, a giant gorilla, as all babies need their mother to protect and care for them.
Making up the ‘Wild About Babies’ installation are baby koalas, elephants, polar bears, giraffes and many more. The 20 cute yet spectacular newborns are all around one meter tall, made of bronze and are interactive. They’ll be displayed is they would be in their natural habitats and environments with native rocks and plants included in the exhibition, showing the public each animal’s natural playgrounds and inviting them to play along too.
The public is encouraged to climb, play, touch, cuddle, and get up close and personal with the beautiful animal sculptures so that they can imagine what would be like to be with and experience these endangered species. All of the sculptures have a QR code which can be scanned to learn more about the animals in their real natural habitats, why animal conservation is so important and how diverse wildlife is. The ‘Wild About Babies’ installation will run until January 2025.
This isn’t the first time Gillie and Marc have given Paternoster Square a touch of wildlife. In 2022 their Wild Table For Love sculpture graced the square with a banquet attended by endangered animals where visitors were invited to take a seat among the animals. The pair’s ‘A Wild Life for Wildlife‘ sculpture trail is still up for visitors to see along the Thames.
Find out more here.
