I grew up in a little village called Pill, just outside Bristol. The story goes that it was the last place John Cabot set foot before his epic voyage to discover America in 1497. It was home to the pilots who used to guide the big ships up the Avon to the thriving Port of Bristol before everything transferred to the dreary industrial zones of Avonmouth and Portbury. And John Wesley, founder of the Methodist Church, wrote in his 1755 journal that “I rode over to Pill, a place famous from generation to generation for stupid, brutal, abandoned wickedness”…… possibly something to do with the fact that the village once boasted 21 pubs.
Anyway, nowadays there’s nothing overtly remarkable about Pill. So on a recent visit I was intrigued to encounter a brightly coloured, life-sized statue of a gorilla on a surfboard overlooking the muddy banks of Pill Creek. Incongruous to say the least.
The plaque on the base explained that he was part of a project to celebrate 175 years of Bristol Zoo, a particular favourite treat from my childhood. So it wasn’t hard to find this http://www.bristolzoo.org.uk/wow-gorillas
Now I know similar projects have been done before (I remember elephants in London) but this one struck me as a particularly appropriate big idea, superbly executed.
60 life sized gorillas sited in and around Bristol, all decorated in unique designs. They’ve involved local artists, professional sports clubs, society memberships and the wider local community. Local schools have got involved by decorating their own “baby gorillas”. And at the end of the event the big ones will be auctioned off to raise money for zoo conservation schemes as well as Wallace and Gromit’s Grand Appeal for a Bristol children’s hospital. Media coverage has been impressive.
What’s not to like? Bristolians get cheered up by the sight of colourful gorillas invading their lovely city. Schoolchildren get a great art project to work on. Artists get their work out there. Sponsor businesses get involved with the community. The zoo gets some great publicity for its anniversary. And some really good causes benefit financially.
Brilliant. Nice one Bristol Zoo. I’ll bring my kids soon.
