What’s going on here?
The team that was responsible for the Little Amal sensation have announced a new project of migratory puppets: The Herd. These animal figures will travel over 20,000km in a new effort to raise awareness for the climate emergency.
What does this mean?
A partnership between The Walk Productions (co-producer of the Little Amal project) and Ukwanda, are hoping to create a new global conversation on the climate crisis. The Herd will be made up of around 30 animal puppets at its core, with many other animals joining the trek as it passes through different countries. The planned route will see the puppets travel through Senegal, Morocco, Gibraltar, Spain, France, the UK, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden and finally Norway.
Why should we care?
One of the key artists behind the Little Amal project, Amir Nizar Zuabi, has highlighted that the climate crisis is often presented to us in ways that are enigmatic – with carbon emissions figures or far-off future dates. This makes it harder to comprehend the nature of the threat that it poses. The purpose behind The Herd is to try to create a “visceral engagement with the issue”.
The movement of The Herd mimics the migration of animals found on the Serengeti. Migrations are a constant and relatable element of the natural environment, something which Zubai hopes will generate a “soft, beautiful evocation to think differently”. Much like the Little Amal project, The Herd also highlights the ever increasing migration of people, which are in part caused by the climate crisis.
It is estimated that Little Amal was witnessed by 2 billion people (online and in person), while travelling on her 8,000km route from Turkey to the UK. It is hoped that The Herd will reach 5 billion people on its journey. The scale of the project and its playful nature may prove to be a vital event in the fight against the climate crisis.
1 Comment
Comments are closed.