Giant Gorilla In Paternoster Square... And You Can Climb On It
Published Jan 2024
Paternoster Square once again has a group of animal sculptures... and you're encouraged to play.
It's all gone a bit King Kong next to St Paul's. A new display of baby animals has taken over the south-eastern corner, presided over by a great mother gorilla.
Yes, Gillie and Marc are back. The artistic duo enlivened the square in 2022 with their Wild Table of Love sculpture, which invited visitors to sit down at a banquet alongside endangered animals. This time round, the presentation is much simpler — a gathering of baby animals from endangered species. Plus that "you must Instagram me" gorilla.
These are interactive sculptures. Visitors are actively encouraged to "touch, cuddle and get up close with some of the world's most endangered species". Kids can even climb on their backs, though labels remind us this is "at your own risk".
If you're the kind of person who scans QR codes, then you can learn more about each animal and the challenges it faces in the wild. It's all part of a wider #LoveTheLast initiative to bolster support and raise funds for the conservation of endangered animals.
This is not Gillie and Marc's only show in town. The prolific duo also have the ongoing A Wild Life for Wildlife sculpture trail on the riverside between London and Tower Bridges, which runs through till September.
Wild About Babies is in Paternoster Square until January 2025. It is free to view.
