Life-sized animal puppet stampede arrives in the capital

A herd of life-sized puppet animals has arrived in London, as part of its world tour to raise awareness of climate change.

The Herds aims to symbolise the animals’ flight from climate disaster, according to The Walk Productions, which is behind the large scale public art.

The animals, created in part by students at Wimbledon College of Arts, will start near London Bridge on Friday morning and will then visit Soho, Somerset House, Coram’s Fields, Camden High Street and Stratford.

The herd’s tour began on 9 April in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and then travelled north, through locations in Africa and western Europe.

The collective works with local musicians, artists, dancers and climate activists en route.

As the animals travel they will grow in number and species, as more are made by local teams.

The puppets are made from upscaled and recyclable materials – primarily cardboard and plywood – with a focus on biodegradable and organic materials.

The Herds stampede will feature performances, theatrical readings and music along the way and a hunt is also planned to break out on Camden High Street.

After London, they will continue their journey north to Greater Manchester and then travel through Scandinavia to the Arctic Circle.

The team behind the art piece also brought Little Amal to London, a 12ft (3.7m) puppet of a 10-year-old Syrian refugee.

Amir Nizar Zuabi, the artistic director, said: “The Herds is an urgent artistic response to the climate crisis, a living, breathing call to action that stampedes across continents.

“Through the beauty and ferocity of these life-size creatures, we aim to spark dialogue, provoke thought, encourage engagement and inspire real change.”