Gromit Unleashed
Gromit Unleashed was a public charity art trail led by Wallace & Gromit’s Grand Appeal and Aardman Animations, in which 80 giant artist-decorated fibreglass sculptures of Gromit were displayed on the streets of Bristol and the surrounding area between 1 July and 8 September 2013.[1] At the end of the art trail, the sculptures were auctioned to raise funds for Wallace & Gromit's Grand Appeal, the Bristol Children's Hospital Charity.[2] The Grand Appeal pledged to raise £3.5 million for state-of-the-art equipment for Bristol Children's Hospital, including an intraoperative MRI scanner, family facilities and child-friendly artwork to help save the lives of sick children at the hospital. All funds raised by Gromit Unleashed contributed towards this.[1] The project follows the concept of the "Land in Sicht", the original Swiss project by artistic director Walter Knapp which inspired the subsequent worldwide exhibition "CowParade"[3][4] and similar exhibitions in other cities, including Wow! Gorillas which took place in Bristol in 2011.[5] To date Gromit Unleashed has raised over £5 million for Bristol Children's Hospital.
Gromit
Gromit is a dog belonging to an eccentric inventor, Wallace, in a series of claymation films produced by Aardman Animations, three of which have won Academy Awards: The Wrong Trousers,[6] A Close Shave[7] and Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit[8]
Sculptures
On 1 July 2013, 80 fibreglass decorated sculptures of Gromit were distributed around Bristol and the nearby rural area. One was also placed at London Paddington station.[9][10] A few days later two were vandalised, causing some public outrage. Sculptures were decorated by a range of artists and celebrities, including Joanna Lumley, Sir Peter Blake, Trevor Baylis and Jools Holland.[11] The Royal Mint and mosaic artist Stephanie Roberts created a special Royal Mint Gromit, decorated with coins.[12] US Animation studio Pixar contributed Gromit Lightyear, based on their character Buzz Lightyear.[13] The sculptures were auctioned in October to raise funds for Bristol Children's Hospital.[14]
In addition a number of smaller Gromit sculptures were distributed to schools and community groups to decorate.[15] Bristol tourism staff have estimated that Gromit Unleashed could bring as much as £58 million to the city during the two-month display, with many visitors expected from the United States and Japan, where Wallace and Gromit are popular. A smart phone app, named Detect-O-Gromit, aimed at helping users find the Gromit sculptures, had 5,400 downloads on its first day, raising over £2,000 for the Grand Appeal.[16] The local media reported on the use of a new word "Gromiting", being used on social media sites to describe the search for the sculptures.[2]
Auction
On 3 October 2013 the statues were auctioned off at a special event hosted by Sotheby's auctioneer and TV presenter Tim Wonnacott and raised £2,357,000 for charity. The Gromit which attracted the highest bid was Gromit Lightyear, designed by Disney Pixar and based on the Toy Story character Buzz Lightyear which sold for £65,000.[17]
Bark at 'Ee was sold for £20,000 to David Clarke, Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Professor of Law at Bristol University in November, 2013 [18]
List of Gromit sculptures
- Unless otherwise stated, all names, locations and artists are taken from the Gromit Unleashed Trail Map.[19] All sale prices from Bristol 24-7.[20]
Name | Original Trail Location | Designer | Sale price |
---|---|---|---|
A Close Shave | Bristol Tourist Information Centre | Hill, HarryHarry Hill | £24,000 |
A Grand Day Out | Enterprise Zone | O'Rourke, AndyAndy O'Rourke | £24,000 |
A Mandrill's Best Friend | Bristol Zoo | Cuevas, ViviVivi Cuevas | £18,000 |
aMazing Gromit | Cheddar Gorge | Berry, TomTom Berry | £24,000 |
Antique Rose | The Mall at Cribbs Causeway | Kidston, CathCath Kidston | £30,000 |
Astro Dog | Millennium Square | Ignition DG Ltd | £21,000 |
Bark at Ee | Queen Square | Flurry, LeighLeigh Flurry | £20,000 |
Being Gromit Malkovich | SS Great Britain | Dowdeswell, ThomasThomas Dowdeswell | £21,000 |
Blazing Saddles | DoubleTree by Hilton, Bristol City Centre | Carys Ink | £21,000 |
Blossom | The Downs, Bristol | Ketteringham, EmilyEmily Ketteringham | £24,000 |
Bristol Bulldog | Bristol Airport | Shearn, DanDan Shearn | £26,000 |
Bumble Boogie | Colston Hall | Holland, JoolsJools Holland | £20,000 |
Bunty | St Mary Redcliffe | Bowles, PaulaPaula Bowles | £31,000 |
Bushed | Royal West of England Academy | Inshaw, DavidDavid Inshaw | £24,000 |
Butterfly | Bristol Old Vic | Treacy, PhilipPhilip Treacy | £20,000 |
Canis Major | Hotel du Vin, Bristol | Christianson, KatyKaty Christianson | £26,000 |
Carosello | Spyglass, Welsh Back, Bristol | Carapia, GiulianoGiuliano Carapia | £16,000 |
Collarfull | Castle Park | Cumming, HannahHannah Cumming | £22,000 |
Creature Comforts | Riverside Garden Centre, Bristol | Sneaky Raccoon | £19,000 |
Dog Rose | Whiteladies Road | Franklin, RosRos Franklin | £20,000 |
Doodles | Cabot Circus | Tofield, SimonSimon Tofield | £34,000 |
Eldoradog | Westonbirt Arboretum | Burnett, SebSeb Burnett | £28,000 |
Feathers | Gloucester Road | Bain, DaveDave Bain | £25,000 |
Fiesta | Avon Gorge Hotel, Bristol | McBirnie, LindsayLindsay McBirnie | £28,000 |
Fish Tales | Blue Reef Aquarium | Wade, JeremyJeremy Wade | £20,000 |
Five a Day Dog | Henleaze Road, Bristol | Cramer, LauraLaura Cramer | £22,000 |
Gizmo | Art of Gromit Unleashed Shop | Blake, QuentinQuentin Blake | £32,000 |
Gnashional Gromit | Bristol Marriott City Centre hotel | Beano, TheThe Beano | £28,000 |
Golden Gromit | Victoria Rooms | Vernon, JulieJulie Vernon | £30,000 |
Grant's Gromit | Ashton Court | Ashforth, RosieRosie Ashforth | £36,000 |
The Green Gromit | The Mall at Cribbs Causeway | Malik, ZaynZayn Malik | £26,000 |
Grom Voyage![21] | The Greatest Dog Show on Earth, Bristol[22] | Cuevas, ViviVivi Cuevas | £20,000 |
Gromberry | The Pump House restaurant, Bristol | Tozer, SimonSimon Tozer | £32,000 |
Gromit | London Paddington station | Aardman Animations | £35,000 |
Gromit Lightyear | Showcase Cinema de Lux, Bristol | Pixar | £65,000 |
Gromit-o-Matic | Brunel Mile, Bristol | O'Malley, DonoughDonough O'Malley | £26,000 |
Gromitasaurus | The Galleries | Daskell, HuncanHuncan Daskell | £24,000 |
The Grommalo | Bristol Central Library | Scheffler, AxelAxel Scheffler | £26,000 |
Groscar | Thunderbolt Square, Bristol | Taylor, ChrisChris Taylor | £28,000 |
Grosmos | Harvey Nichols, Bristol | Cheba | £28,000 |
Grrrrromit | Windmill Hill City Farm, Bristol | Carys Ink | £26,000 |
Harmony | The Beaufort Arms, Hawkesbury Upton | Simpson, MarieMarie Simpson | £23,000 |
Hero | Subway, Bristol city centre | Deams, TomTom Deams | £26,000 |
Hound Dog | Arnolfini | Blake, PeterPeter Blake | £28,000 |
Hullaballoon | Arnos Vale Cemetery | Monster Riot | £26,000 |
Isambark Kingdog Brunel | Bristol Temple Meads railway station | Miness, TimTim Miness | £36,000 |
It's Kraken, Gromit! | The Downs, Bristol | Filthy Luker | £18,000 |
Jack | Hargreaves Lansdown, Anchor Road | Band, MartinMartin Band | £36,000 |
The King | King Street | McKay, StephenStephen McKay | £25,000 |
Lancelot | Quakers Friars | Smith, PaulPaul Smith | £22,000 |
Lodekka | Off Lawrence Hill Roundabout | Ignition DG Ltd | £28,000 |
Malago | Broadmead | Collings, DanDan Collings | £24,000 |
May Contain Nuts (& Bolts) | Bristol Temple Meads railway station | Guy, NatalieNatalie Guy | £30,000 |
National Treasure | M Shed | Royal Mint | £28,000 |
NewFoundLand | The Matthew | One Red Shoe | £30,000 |
Newshound | Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery | Park, NickNick Park | £50,000 |
Nezahualcoyotl | Stanfords, Corn Street | Dunmore, JosephJoseph Dunmore | £20,000 |
Oops a Daisy | Tyntesfield, Wraxall | Gavin, DiarmuidDiarmuid Gavin | £22,000 |
Paisley | North Street, Bedminster, Bristol | Samuel-Johnson, NiaNia Samuel-Johnson | £21,000 |
Patch | Clifton Hill, Bristol | Golden, EmilyEmily Golden | £36,000 |
Poetry in Motion | College Green | Lumley, JoannaJoanna Lumley | £35,000 |
Poochadelic | County Cricket Ground, Bristol | Hassell, LisaLisa Hassell | £25,000 |
Roger | Top to Bottom Ltd, Staple Hill | Williams, RichardRichard Williams | £29,000 |
Salty Sea Dog | The Cascade Steps, Bristol city centre | Lord, PeterPeter Lord | £32,000 |
The Secret Garden | Lye Cross Farm, Redhill, Somerset | Grace, Sarah JaneSarah Jane Grace | £44,000 |
Sheepdog | The Mall Gardens, Clifton, Bristol | Starzak, RichardRichard Starzak | £23,000 |
Ship Shape & Bristol Fashion | Sion Hill, Bristol | Matthews, SarahSarah Matthews | £26,000 |
Sir Gromit of Bristol | St George's Bristol | Marlow, IanIan Marlow | £28,000 |
Snow Gromit | Junction 3 Library, Baptist Mills, Bristol | Briggs, RaymondRaymond Briggs | £32,000 |
Stat's the Way to Do It, Lad | Aardman Animations | Strange, GavinGavin Strange | £29,000 |
Steam Dog | At-Bristol | Shearn, DanDan Shearn | £26,000 |
Sugar Plum | Redgrave Theatre | Birtwell, CeliaCelia Birtwell | £22,000 |
TutanGromit I | Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery | Evans, DaleDale Evans | £24,000 |
Two Eds are Better than One | Woodlands Lane, Bradley Stoke | Brookes, PeterPeter Brookes | £23,000 |
Vincent van Gromit | Elton Road, Bristol | Cramer, LauraLaura Cramer | £25,000 |
Watch Out Gromit! | M Shed | Scarfe, GeraldGerald Scarfe | £50,000 |
What a Wind Up | Redcliffe Street, Bristol | Baylis, TrevorTrevor Baylis | £25,000 |
Where's Wallace | Marriott Royal hotel, Bristol | Handford, MartinMartin Handford | £30,000 |
Why Dog? Why? | St Nicholas Market | Titchner, MarkMark Titchner | £18,000 |
The Wild West | Cribbs Causeway Retail Park | Timms, AmyAmy Timms | £22,000 |
Zodiac | Arnolfini | Inkie | £24,000 |
See also
References
- 1 2 Koch, Emily (17 June 2013). "Gromit Unleashed: Everything you need to know". Bristol Post. Retrieved 30 July 2013.
- 1 2 Mathias, Vicki; Beard, George (10 July 2013). "Gromit Unleashed: Now we're all going "Gromiting"". This is Bristol. Retrieved 29 July 2013.
- ↑ "CowParade 2008 in Madrid". Aktuelle (in German). September 2008. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
- ↑ "CowParade 2012". Belfast City Council. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
- ↑ "Bristol Zoo gorilla statues raise £427,000 for charity". BBC Bristol News. 30 September 2011. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
- ↑ "The 66th academy Awards (1994) Nominees and winners". The academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. 21 March 1994. Retrieved 29 July 2013.
- ↑ "The 68th Academy Awards (1996) Nominees and Winners". The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. 25 March 1996. Retrieved 29 July 2013.
- ↑ "The 78th Academy Awards (2006) Nominees and Winners". The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. 5 March 2006. Retrieved 29 July 2013.
- ↑ Kay, John (28 June 2013). "Walkies! Designer Gromits unleashed". BBC Bristol News. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
- ↑ "Burges Salmon lets London Gromit off the leash". Burgess Salmon. Retrieved 2013-07-29.
- ↑ "Second giant Gromit sculpture vandalised in Bristol". BBC Bristol News. 1 July 2013. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
- ↑ Owen, James. "Gromit unleashed – the making of ‘The National Treasure’". Official Blog of the Royal Mint. Royal Mint. Retrieved 29 July 2013.
- ↑ Warrens, Sophie (28 June 2013). "Cracking good job, Gromit! Wallace and Gromit creator Nick Park unveils sculptures in Bristol". The Independent. Retrieved 29 July 2013.
- ↑ "Giant Gromit sculptures let loose in Bristol for arts trail". BBC Bristol News. 28 June 2013. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
- ↑ Staff. "Schools". Gromit Unleashed. Gromit Unleashed. Retrieved 29 July 2013.
- ↑ Staff (3 July 2013). "Gromit could be worth £58m to Bristol economy". Bristol Post. Retrieved 29 July 2013.
- ↑ "Gromit statues auction raises £2.3m for Bristol Children's Hospital". BBC News.
- ↑ http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/Bristol-University-Gromit-given-new-home-view/story-20105540-detail/story.html
- ↑ "Gromit Unleashed Trail Map" (pdf). Wallace & Gromit's Grand Appeal. 1 July 2013. Retrieved 5 October 2013.
- ↑ Brown, Christopher (4 October 2013). "Gromit auction raises £2.3m for Bristol Children’s Hospital". Bristol 24-7. Retrieved 5 October 2013.
- ↑ "Gromit Unleashed, Lot 71". i-bidder. Retrieved 8 October 2013.
- ↑ "Gromit fans meet the 81st statue". ITV. 19 September 2013. Retrieved 8 October 2013.
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