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] but was moved to the Gromit Unleashed HQ for the final week of the exhibition.[11] A few days in, two of the statues 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.[12] The Royal Mint and mosaic artist Stephanie Roberts created a special Royal Mint Gromit, decorated with coins.[13] US Animation studio Pixar contributed Gromit Lightyear, based on their character Buzz Lightyear.[14] The sculptures were auctioned in October to raise funds for Bristol Children's Hospital.[15]
In addition a number of smaller Gromit sculptures were distributed to schools and community groups to decorate.[16] 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 smartphone 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.[17] 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.[18]
Bark at 'Ee was sold for £20,000 to David Clarke, Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Professor of Law at Bristol University in November, 2013. [19]
List of Gromit sculptures
- Unless otherwise stated, all names, locations and artists are taken from the Gromit Unleashed Trail Map.[20] All sale prices from Bristol 24-7.[21]
Name | Original Trail Location | Designer | Sale price |
---|---|---|---|
A Close Shave | Bristol Tourist Information Centre | Harry Hill | £24,000 |
A Grand Day Out | Enterprise Zone | Andy O'Rourke | £24,000 |
A Mandrill's Best Friend | Bristol Zoo | Vivi Cuevas | £18,000 |
aMazing Gromit | Cheddar Gorge | Tom Berry | £24,000 |
Antique Rose | The Mall at Cribbs Causeway | Cath Kidston | £30,000 |
Astro Dog | Millennium Square | Ignition DG Ltd | £21,000 |
Bark at Ee | Queen Square | Leigh Flurry | £20,000 |
Being Gromit Malkovich | SS Great Britain | Thomas Dowdeswell | £21,000 |
Blazing Saddles | DoubleTree by Hilton, Bristol City Centre | Carys Ink | £21,000 |
Blossom | The Downs, Bristol | Emily Ketteringham | £24,000 |
Bristol Bulldog | Bristol Airport | Dan Shearn | £26,000 |
Bumble Boogie | Colston Hall | Jools Holland | £20,000 |
Bunty | St Mary Redcliffe | Paula Bowles | £31,000 |
Bushed | Royal West of England Academy | David Inshaw | £24,000 |
Butterfly | Bristol Old Vic | Philip Treacy | £20,000 |
Canis Major | Hotel du Vin, Bristol | Katy Christianson | £26,000 |
Carosello | Spyglass, Welsh Back, Bristol | Giuliano Carapia | £16,000 |
Collarfull | Castle Park | Hannah Cumming | £22,000 |
Creature Comforts | Riverside Garden Centre, Bristol | Sneaky Raccoon | £19,000 |
Dog Rose | Whiteladies Road | Ros Franklin | £20,000 |
Doodles | Cabot Circus | Simon Tofield | £34,000 |
Eldoradog | Westonbirt Arboretum | Seb Burnett | £28,000 |
Feathers | Gloucester Road | Dave Bain | £25,000 |
Fiesta | Avon Gorge Hotel, Bristol | Lindsay McBirnie | £28,000 |
Fish Tales | Blue Reef Aquarium | Jeremy Wade | £20,000 |
Five a Day Dog | Henleaze Road, Bristol | Laura Cramer | £22,000 |
Gizmo | Art of Gromit Unleashed Shop | Quentin Blake | £32,000 |
Gnashional Gromit | Bristol Marriott City Centre hotel | The Beano | £28,000 |
Golden Gromit | Victoria Rooms | Julie Vernon | £30,000 |
Grant's Gromit | Ashton Court | Rosie Ashforth | £36,000 |
The Green Gromit | The Mall at Cribbs Causeway | Zayn Malik | £26,000 |
Grom Voyage![22] | The Greatest Dog Show on Earth, Bristol[23] | Vivi Cuevas | £20,000 |
Gromberry | The Pump House restaurant, Bristol | Simon 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 | Donough O'Malley | £26,000 |
Gromitasaurus | The Galleries | Huncan Daskell | £24,000 |
The Grommalo | Bristol Central Library | Axel Scheffler | £26,000 |
Groscar | Thunderbolt Square, Bristol | Chris 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 | Marie Simpson | £23,000 |
Hero | Subway, Bristol city centre | Tom Deams | £26,000 |
Hound Dog | Arnolfini | Peter Blake | £28,000 |
Hullaballoon | Arnos Vale Cemetery | Monster Riot | £26,000 |
Isambark Kingdog Brunel | Bristol Temple Meads railway station | Tim Miness | £36,000 |
It's Kraken, Gromit! | The Downs, Bristol | Filthy Luker | £18,000 |
Jack | Hargreaves Lansdown, Anchor Road | Martin Band | £36,000 |
The King | King Street | Stephen McKay | £25,000 |
Lancelot | Quakers Friars | Paul Smith | £22,000 |
Lodekka | Off Lawrence Hill Roundabout | Ignition DG Ltd | £28,000 |
Malago | Broadmead | Dan Collings | £24,000 |
May Contain Nuts (& Bolts) | Bristol Temple Meads railway station | Natalie 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 | Nick Park | £50,000 |
Nezahualcoyotl | Stanfords, Corn Street | Joseph Dunmore | £20,000 |
Oops a Daisy | Tyntesfield, Wraxall | Diarmuid Gavin | £22,000 |
Paisley | North Street, Bedminster, Bristol | Nia Samuel-Johnson | £21,000 |
Patch | Clifton Hill, Bristol | Emily Golden | £36,000 |
Poetry in Motion | College Green | Joanna Lumley | £35,000 |
Poochadelic | County Cricket Ground, Bristol | Lisa Hassell | £25,000 |
Roger | Top to Bottom Ltd, Staple Hill | Richard Williams | £29,000 |
Salty Sea Dog | The Cascade Steps, Bristol city centre | Peter Lord | £32,000 |
The Secret Garden | Lye Cross Farm, Redhill, Somerset | Sarah Jane Grace | £44,000 |
Sheepdog | The Mall Gardens, Clifton, Bristol | Richard Starzak | £23,000 |
Ship Shape & Bristol Fashion | Sion Hill, Bristol | Sarah Matthews | £26,000 |
Sir Gromit of Bristol | St George's Bristol | Ian Marlow | £28,000 |
Snow Gromit | Junction 3 Library, Baptist Mills, Bristol | Raymond Briggs | £32,000 |
Stat's the Way to Do It, Lad | Aardman Animations | Gavin Strange | £29,000 |
Steam Dog | At-Bristol | Dan Shearn | £26,000 |
Sugar Plum | Redgrave Theatre | Celia Birtwell | £22,000 |
TutanGromit I | Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery | Dale Evans | £24,000 |
Two Eds are Better than One | Woodlands Lane, Bradley Stoke | Peter Brookes | £23,000 |
Vincent van Gromit | Elton Road, Bristol | Laura Cramer | £25,000 |
Watch Out Gromit! | M Shed | Gerald Scarfe | £50,000 |
What a Wind Up | Redcliffe Street, Bristol | Trevor Baylis | £25,000 |
Where's Wallace | Marriott Royal hotel, Bristol | Martin Handford | £30,000 |
Why Dog? Why? | St Nicholas Market | Mark Titchner | £18,000 |
The Wild West | Cribbs Causeway Retail Park | Amy Timms | £22,000 |
Zodiac | Arnolfini | Inkie | £24,000 |
See also
References
- ^ a b Koch, Emily (17 June 2013). "Gromit Unleashed: Everything you need to know". Bristol Post. Archived from the original on 23 July 2013. Retrieved 30 July 2013.
{{cite news}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ a b 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 29 July 2013.
- ^ "Paddington Station Gromit comes to Bristol". ITV News. 7 September 2013. Retrieved 30 December 2017.
{{cite news}}
: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|dead-url=
(help) - ^ "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.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 21 August 2014. Retrieved 21 August 2014.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help)CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "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.