If you are a fan of Wallace and Gromit, the lovable but hapless inventor and his canine fixer, then you might want to pack your bags and head to the city of Bristol in the south west of England. Gromit has taken flight from his northern home of Wigan and arrived in Bristol in the form of eighty amazing five foot tall sculptures. The whole experience is rather cleverly named
Gromit Unleashed.
The sculptures arrived in a number of ways. Some came by train...
Others made the journey by boat and at least one (by artist
Stephen McKay) reached Bristol strapped to the back of a Mini Moke. Yet they arrived, despite the
strange sensation that there was villainy in the air...
Disaster was, however, averted and the host of Gromits made it safely to their destination. So, why leave Wigan – it surely can’t be all those wet Sundays, surely? If you are a fan of the four short and one feature length films graced by the pair, then you will know that although Wallace and Gromit’s home is Wigan, the studio which gave them life, Aardman Animations, is in Bristol.
In fact, the creator of Wallace and Gromit, Nick Park, was there to greet the sculptures. The numerous versions (in terms of their adornments) of Gromit have been decorated by celebrities, designers and artists and will be fully installed at locations across the city by Monday. They will remain in place for 10 weeks after which they will be auctioned. The proceeds from the auction will go to the Bristol Children’s Hospital charity which has organised the exhibition alongside Aardman Animations.
Image Credit © Flickr User Sa//y
Gromit Unleashed is part of Wallace & Gromit’s Grand Appeal. It was established in 1995 and has since raised over £21 million to support a wide range of life-saving medical equipment, family housing, and patient comforts, together with a programme of arts, music, education and play facilities in the Bristol Royal Hospital for Children.
Image Credit © Flickr User Sa//y
Image Credit © Flickr User Sa//y
If you are interested in participating in the auction then visit
Gromit Unleashed’s website. If you don't have the necessaries to make a bid, why not simply take in the sites in and around Bristol!
Image Credit © Flickr User Sa//y
Image Credit Flickr User Nathan Wong
Image Credit Flickr User Xocoatzin
Image Credit Flickr User Xocoatzin
Image Credit Flickr User Xocoatzin
Image Credit Flickr User Xocoatzin
Here is how one artist, Gavin Strange who also works under the name of
JamFactory went about transforming his Gromit from start to finish. His version was chosen to stand outside Aardman's HQ in the city.
Kuriositas would like to thank the Flickr photographers Stephen McKay (aka Portmeiriana) Xocoatzin and Sa//y and for their kind permission to share their work with you. The photographers retain the copyright to their work. You can see lots more in the Gromit Unleashed Group on Flickr.
Have you taken any great pictures of Gromit in Bristol? Why not send them to us on Twitter or upload them on to our Facebook Page?
First Image Credit Flickr User Gothic_Matt
