A colony of giant, inflatable rabbits arrived in Aberdeen yesterday in a bid to boost the city’s cultural credentials.
Aberdeen Inspired worked with Australian artist Amanda Parer to bring the 23ft-high light installations to Union Terrace Gardens as part of the Winter Festival.
But just hours after the fantasy animals were revealed to the public, they had to be deflated due to high winds.
For Aberdeen Inspired’s chief executive, Gary Craig, the journey to bring the giant animals to the north-east and put the city on the cultural map was a long one.
The artwork – named Intrude – has already made high-profile appearances at festivals across the globe, including New York, Paris, London and Sydney.
“I saw the display for the first time a year ago in London and have been determined to bring them to Aberdeen ever since I started the job here,” he said.
“The arrival of Intrude was timed so that it would benefit from the increased football within the area with the Aberdeen Christmas Village taking place at the same time.
“We’ve already had 200,000 visit the winter festival and are hopeful this will reach 5-600,000 before it’s done.”
Ms Parer travelled from Tasmania to Aberdeen to set up her display in Scotland for the first time.
“Rabbits are a new species in Australia, they were brought in by the first settlers,” she explained.
“We’ve tried to exterminate them a few times but they keep coming back.
“I use these rabbits as a metaphor for our impact on the environment.
“The idea of having these giant pieces on display is that they don’t fit in.”
Aberdeen City Council depute leader Marie Boulton said it was yet another reason for people visit the city-centre this festive season.
She said: “The Intrude art installation has been on show all over the world and it’s great that it is now in Aberdeen.
“The installation is part of the biggest ever Winter Festival being held in the city, with the idea being of something for everyone and while the giant glowing bunnies will now be everyone’s cup of tea, they will certainly invoke a reaction.
“People will say rabbits have nothing to do with Christmas but it’s another dimension to the festival and another reason to visit the city centre.”