TERRA TIGRIS
A while ago I was introduced to the fantastic contemporary artist Lauren Baker who creates stunning pieces of art from ethically sourced skulls, exploring the power of nature and energy. Lauren has been involved with charities, workshops and many installation projects, and I was super excited to hear about the new exhibition she was curating for Save Wild Tigers. The show is called THRIVE and will display tiger inspired artworks, donated by 20 artists, to be sold through auction in a bid to reverse the decline of the beautiful species.
Save Wild Tigers are fighting to keep tigers from extinction, a devastating prospect, which may become a sad reality in the next decade if international laws don't change. There are less than 3500 tigers left on our planet, which is such a tragic decline, and mostly due to human greed, poaching and loss of natural habitat.
I was asked to create a piece for the show, and I immediately set about trying to find a way to represent the demise of the creatures in an interactive and stimulating way. A talented team of globemakers who I've worked with before sprang to mind, and I pitched my idea of a unique one-off globe to Peter Bellerby, founder of Bellerby & Co Globemakers. Needless to say they were in, and our globe Terra Tigris was born.
Each Bellerby & Co globe is entirely hand made, the results are stunning and the small team receive much praise for their beautiful art. For our piece, I wanted to visually map the shocking statistics of the demise of the wild tiger, and through hand painted watercolour washes, you can learn where the tigers once roamed king, in comparison to the tiny areas they now occupy. Atmospheric colours, tiger illustrations and facts finish the globe, which stands on an ebonised base, hand made by Bellerby's foundry.
Other fantastic artists include Mark Powell, Cassandra Yap and Otto Schade, and Baker's piece is a show stopping, life size tigers head sculpture, adorned with over 45,000 Swarovski crystals. We cannot wait to see the finished product of Lauren's vision.
The show will be open from 14th - 19th May, at the Sanderson Hotel in Central London. Entry is free and opening times are 9-7pm daily. You can even place a bid for a piece in the silent auction, we really recommend getting down there to see the pieces for yourself, and to show your support for the brilliant cause.
Hope to see you there! And please share the event with anyone who wants to support the charity.
