Posted in Bristol, Down by the Water, Wow Gorillas
I think the name of this is a reference to the expression
‘Ship Shape and Bristol Fashion’ which originates from the habit of securing all cargoes well when moored on the tidal Avon river.
We saw this one back at the beginning of August but I don’t seem to have put the photos up but it’s not too late so here they are!
He is covered in motifs from the working docks, referencing Bristol’s history as a major port.
Posted in Bristol, Downtown, Wow Gorillas
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Jama is definitely one of my favourites.
The name is a traditional name meaning ‘one who brings people together’. The artist, Laura Pickering, says the design celebrates natural and cultural diversity and the vibrant city of Bristol.
I love the animals, the frog, the flamingo, the fish, and the bats hanging behind her ears and the crazy party loving spermatazoa, at least that is what I think they are.
I am so impressed with the way the whole animal, (even her tummy is used) is so bright and vibrant and eye catching.
Tucked away in one of those modern developments behind Temple Meads Station. I wish she had been in a place which got more passing traffic as she is gorgeous!
Here is a slideshow with some of the close up shots.
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Posted in Bristol, Centre, Indoors, Wow Gorillas
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Elvis has definitely not left this building; he glitters brightly by the doors of the new Bristol Bus Station.
He is a somewhat incongruous sight, surrounded by luggage and people eating their pre-travel snacks.
Still he is Elvis, and we paid our respects to the King! Martin Band, the artist; I think he did him proud!
On the Ticket Desk is this little Gorilla, one of the many given to schools to decorate and there are too many to photograph, but I liked this one with its buttons!
Posted in Bristol, Centre, Wow Gorillas
I love the colour scheme for this Harbourside Gorilla and the expression in the eyes. One of my favourites!
The artist, Laura Cramer, calls it her ‘Bristol Harbourside Gorilla’. And it’s been really popular:
You can see Pero’s Bridge on one of his sides, a modern footbridge that opened in 1999 to connect the two sides of this stretch of the Harbour, linking the Arnolfini and The Watershed easily.
It’s a bascule bridge that can be raised for tall ships such as the Matthew to come through.
The bridge is eloquently described by Yvette Rose for UCLan as follows :
Unlike Liverpool and London, Bristol has at last constructed an appropriate memorial to the trade to accompany its belated exhibit A Respectable Trade? Bristol and Transatlantic Slavery (1999), a bridge across the harbour in Bristol named after Pero, an African who was the servant of the Pinney family who lived in the city’s Georgian House museum in the late eighteenth century having come from the Pinney estate in Nevis in 1784. Its central double arch of horns speaks to the musical heritage Pero and his compatriots brought with them and more symbolically to the way their history resonates today, while the ladders in the middle of the bridge are a reminder of the ladders on ships’ riggings that brought Africans across the Atlantic and back again.
Such a memorial shows what is possible and the way in which even the most pragmatic of architecture can be used to remember and celebrate a black presence. Such architectural remembrance is particularly crucial to Bristol where an anonymous commentator opined “(T)here is not a brick in the city but what is cemented with the blood of a slave”.
Posted in Out of Town, Wow Gorillas
This fabulous gorilla is called the Severn Bore after the river wave or bore that sweeps up the Severn at regular intervals. Poised and ready for action I think this is one of my favourites so far.
Lovely artwork by Victoria Hornby decorates the flanks of this one, referring to the need for conservation of all unique and special habitats.
The Severn Bore would be no more if the planned barrages had been put in place across the Severn. The project illustrates the increasing tensions between our needs for green sources of energy and to conserve and respect wildlife habitats and biodiversity.
The Wildlife Trusts’ interactive report makes interesting reading on the subject and has some great photographs of the area, including a great surfing the bore picture. If you have time have a look at this!
Anyone who watches any David Attenborough or other nature programmes will know of the plight of the gorilla’s main habitats and the direct threat that habitat degradation and destruction poise to their continued existence.
On a lighter note here is Zeb taking advantage of the extra height of the gorilla’s surfboard.
18 Tuesday Oct 2011
Posted in Wow Gorillas
I didn’t go to the auction but in case you are interested £427,300 was raised. What a result!
A full list of what they went for is here on the Zoo’s website.
To find out more about some of the Gorilla conservation work ongoing today this is a good starting point.
Thanks for reading and don’t forget to have a peek at the Zoo’s webcams and see the new baby Kukema sometime !
Telula, Cribbs Causeway, Bristol
Mondo at The Evening Post Building, Bristol
Peskimo, Broadmead Shopping Centre, Bristol
Gorilla Skelena, Cabot Circus, Bristol and Reaching Out Gorilla at Waitrose
