Final curtain call at Dovecot Studios
The curtains closed last weekend on Scotland's largest outdoor public art event, Jungle City. What a summer it has been - after months of preparation, one hundred and thirty national and international artists, designers and celebrities took to their paints on one hundred and thirty crocodiles, orangutans, hornbills, tigers and elephants to produce magical creations that travelled from all corners of the United Kingdom to the majestic and tropical surroundings of the Royal Botanic Gardens (In The Wild: Jungle City, August 2011) and then onto the lively and historic streets of Edinburgh city (Safari Streets, September 2011). 
I am honoured to have been involved with Elephant Family's mission to raise £1million for the conservation and protection of Asian elephants and endangered species, with my own tiger design Tribal Tigris. The auction closed on Sunday evening and for one last time all the animals gathered at the beautiful venue of Dovecot Studios, home to the world's leading contemporary tapestry centre, surrounded by colourful threads and looms, and took their final curtain call to say goodbye to Edinburgh.
I have the pleasure of officially announcing Tribal Tigris raised £3900.00 for Elephant Family and while I do not have any details yet about it's new home, I am thrilled that is was so well received by the public in its Grassmarket location in the Old Town of the city. As Tribal Tigris and the rest of the jungle animals head to private and public collections, galleries and institutions, the money raised by this year's Jungle City project will be directed to the real homes of these endangered species: jungles are the most vital habitats on the planet and global awareness is paramount in order for these species to survive in the comfort of their natural surroundings. This is therefore only the beginning of a cause that must never have an end, a concern that we must always support and communicate to future generations.
I have had a wonderful time meeting all the contributing artists and working on such an exciting and creative project - you can now chart my Jungle City experience from artist studio to the wild streets of Edinburgh here. Thank you to everyone for all your support - visit Elephant Family for more details about this year's fundraising events and dedicated conservation work around the world.
Images courtesy of Murray Horne
Images courtesy of Murray Horne
