Students join global public art and
climate action project

This event, unprecedented in scale, is an international puppet project with life-size puppet animals travelling a 20,000km route from the Congo Basin to the Arctic Circle, symbolising their flight from climate disaster.

Five students on UCA’s BA (Hons) Design for Theatre & Screen course will be part of the week-long training and performance programme alongside 95 other volunteer puppeteers, culminating in massive public arts events across Greater London.

As an official partner of The Herds, alongside the likes of Arts Council England, RSC, Somerset House, WWF and Youth4Nature, Ruth Paton, Senior Lecturer Design for Theatre & Screen, said:

“The students have been able to build and refine their construction skills in our workshops, following complex build instructions for each puppet, and working with intricate laser-cut pieces to build the animal bodies, mechanisms and moving parts. Working in small collaborative groups, problem solving as a team took centre stage.” 

Mia Credidio, who worked on creating the Zebra puppet, added: “Making this puppet go from a flat pack with instructions to a fully functional moving puppet that looks so realistic and soulful when puppeteered, is an amazing opportunity.

“I’m excited to perform as part of the herd and help put on an amazing performance and get across the message of The Herds – to renew our bond with the natural world and call for climate action.

“I hope that audiences around the world feel a deep sense of connection to the herd, and leap into #climateaction.”

Produced by The Walk Productions, The Herds will run until August of this year with events taking place in London from Friday 27 to Sunday 29 June.

For more information visit, The Herds or follow @the_herds on Instagram

Or follow @miacredidio