CowParade

Bronze casting commemorating Chicago's exhibition

CowParade is an international public art exhibit that has been featured in major world cities. Fiberglass sculptures of cows are decorated by local artists, and distributed over the city centre, in public places such as train stations, important avenues, and parks. They often feature artwork and designs specific to local culture, as well as city life and other relevant themes.

After the exhibition in the city, which may last many months, the statues are auctioned off and the proceeds donated to charity.

There are a few variations of shape, but the three most common shapes of cow were created by Pascal Knapp, a Swiss-born sculptor who was commissioned to create the cows specifically for the CowParade series of events. Pascal Knapp owns the copyrights to the standing, lying, and grazing cow shapes used in the CowParade events.

History

The concept of "cow parade" has its origins in Zürich, Switzerland, in 1998[1] by artistic director Walter Knapp, it is based on an idea which was realised in the same city for the first time in 1986: Lions as the symbol of Zurich were painted and then on display throughout the city.

The Zürich exhibit 1998 was not called "cow parade" - it was called "Land in Sicht" (roughly translated as "Countryside in view"). The concept was brought to the United States when Chicago businessman Peter Hanig, along with Commissioner of Cultural Affairs Lois Weisberg, organized an event in Chicago in 1999. A Swiss company, CowHolding Parade AG, started to explore the idea. The American company that explored this idea, CowHolding Parade, was founded in 1999; the Swiss company promptly sued but the case fizzled out without results. A bronze casting of one of the cows is on permanent display in Chicago in commemoration of the city's initial exhibition.

The success of this venture inspired many other cities to host similar fundraising projects. The idea has been taken up by other cities which have chosen animals for public art projects with painted fiberglass sculptures (see Similar projects).

Cows

Some CowParade cities


Similar projects

Globe in TelAviv, "A Gateway to the World", 2007

The phenomenon of CowParade has spawned copy-cat statue decorating projects in a number of cities worldwide.[6] The theme was adapted in Berlin to the town mascot; however the entailing United Buddy Bears exhibitions are very different from all other urban events. The bears were created by the German artists Klaus and Eva Herlitz. The idea and the philosophy behind the United Buddy Bears exhibitions are unique: with its international approach and its symbolism, this synthesis of the arts globally promotes tolerance, international understanding and a peaceful coexistence.

Zürich itself has adapted the bear theme in the "Teddy-Summer" in 2005.[7]

Asia

Europe

Two of the 104 decorated pigs on display in the English city of Bath. This was a public art event, called "King Bladud's Pigs in Bath". Pig sculptures were on display around the city through the summer of 2008.
Two Buddy Bears at Kurfürstendamm 21, Berlin
LocationNameExhibitsDate
Aberdeen Wild Dolphins50 Dolphins 2014[8]
Bath King Bladud's Pigs104 pigs 2008[9]
Bath Lions of Bath100 lions 2010[10]
Berlin Buddy Bear Berlin Show350 Buddy Bears 2001 and 2002
Berlin + since 2004 worldwide United Buddy Bears Worldtour150 United Buddy Bears 2002 and 2003, since 2004 worldwide
Bristol Shaun in the City Shaun the Sheep visits Bristol in the summer 2015, after the spring 2015 visit to London. To coincide with Shaun the Sheep Movie. 2015[11]
Bristol Wow! Gorillas 61 gorillas 2011[12]
Bristol Gromit Unleashed 80 Gromits 2013, http://www.gromit-unleashed.org.uk/[13][14]
Chester Rhino Mania 70 rhinos [15] 2010
Colchester Stand tall 112 giraffes 2013
Copenhagen Elephant Parade 102 baby elephants 2011 June[16]
Dortmund Dortmunder Nashorn 120 rhinos2005, expanded for 2006 FIFA World Cup
Glasgow Clyde's Mascot Trail[17] 25 Clydes, the mascot of the 2014 Commonwealth Games2014
Hamburg Hans Hummel 100 Hans Hummel2003
Hannover Elefanten-Parade45 elephants2004
Hasselt Elephant Parade2012
Heerlen Elephant Parade2011
Istanbul Shoe Art500 shoes2008 September
HullLarkin with Toads40 toads2010
Kaiserslautern Fishing for Phantasy250 fish2001
Leipzig LeOLips100 lions2002[18]
Liverpool Go Superlambananas!125 Superlambananas2008;
Liverpool Go Penguins142 penguins2009[19]
London Shaun in the City 50 Shaun the Sheeps. Associated with a parade in Bristol in the summer 2015, and release of Shaun the Sheep Movie 28 March to 25May 2015[11]
London Year of the Bus Sculpture Trails 41 buses 2014[20]
London Elephant Parade2010
London The Big Egg Hunt2012
London The Paddington Trail 50 Paddington Bears 2014[21][22]
London 83 Wenlock and Mandeville mascots2012[23][24]
Munich Löwenparade 500 lions2004
Neustadt an der AischAischgruender Karpfen120 carp2008 September[25]
Newport South Wales, UKSuperDragons 60 dragons 2010[26]
Northampton Pride of Northampton2010[27]
Norwich Go Elephants54 baby elephants2008[28]
Norwich GoGoGorillas!gorillas2013[29]
Norwich GoGoDragons!dragons2015[30]
Southampton Go Rhinos!rhinos2013[31]
Versmold Bunte Borstenviecher 120 pigs2007[32]
Wells Swans of Wells 60 swans2012, to commemorate the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II[33]
Wuppertal Pinguinale200 penguins2006
Zürich Teddy-Summer630 teddy-bears2005

North America

Criticism

CowParade has been criticized by contributing artists for their selectivity standards; David Lynch's cow with its flesh partially ripped off, and organs showing, was rejected. The explanation is that this particular CowParade cow was rejected by the City of New York, not the CowParade organisation.[107]

A Swedish organization called The Militant Graffiti Artists of Stockholm kidnapped and decapitated one of the cows of the Stockholm event in protest of the publicly provisioned cows carrying advertisements.[108]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Geneva Cow Parade
  2. ↑
    • Bilbao, "Vacas en Bilbao", 2001 (175 cows)
  3. ↑ "The Humble Cow : Video : Jokes :  Cow Parade Manchester". Retrieved August 8, 2014.
  4. ↑
    • Toulouse, "Cow Parade, Toulouse 2012", 2012 (52 cows)
  5. ↑ "Events @ Cow parade". Retrieved 1 March 2012.
  6. ↑ Im-moo-tators of the cow parade idea
  7. ↑ "Erfolgreicher Abschluss der Aktion". Edith Strub, Committee President of «Teddy-Summer Zürich 2005», vv, 2005
  8. ↑ "Wild Dolphins Aberdeen Art Sculptures Trail - About Aberdeen". Retrieved April 16, 2015.
  9. ↑ King Bladud's Pigs
  10. ↑ Lions of Bath
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  18. ↑ LeOLips
  19. ↑ "Go Penguins". Retrieved 11 August 2011.
  20. ↑ "Sculpture trails - Transport for London". Retrieved October 26, 2014.
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  107. ↑ Eat My Fear - David Lynch's rejected submission for the New York Cow Parade in 2000
  108. ↑ The Militant Graffiti Artists of Stockholm - Kidnapping and decapitating of fiber-glass cow, (2004)

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to CowParade.