*Folkestone Triennial publicity imageInvolvement with Mark Dion's Mobile Gull Appreciation Unit started way in back in February of this year, beginning with six weeks of frantic fact finding, phoning, emailing and frankly, begging. Gull appreciators are a rare breed, even in the world of Ornithology so a thorough search throughout Kent and the South East insued to find people willing to contribute crucial information and illustrations for the accompanying field guide that was to form such a vital part of the artwork. The end result was a run of a thousand beautiful A6 booklets reminiscent of 1950's 'Eye Spy' guides containing all the information a newly-converted gull appreciator could wish to know about these fascinating, but deeply misunderstood birds.
The tireless campaign to inform, educate and entertain both locals and visitors alike began in earnest on 13th June and ran for almost 100 long days. Many people flocked to the big bird initially because it was such a spectacle as it moved around the town. However, as local residents got used to spotting the G.A.U. on the move it began to function as intended. A real measure of the artwork's success became apparent as the log books filled up not only with sightings but with anecdotes, 'gull crime reports', illustrations, photos and most importantly, humour.
The Mobile Gull has been recently adopted by the RSPC to help with their campaign, 'driven by a passionate belief that we all have a responsibility to protect birds and the environment.' www.rspb.org.uk
