A colourful rhino inspired by the creativity of Lakes Alive has charged into Chester for an ambitious new art project.

The rhino sculpture has been designed to represent the vibrant line up of outdoor arts events that Lakes Alive runs in Cumbria through the summer which includes comedy, cabaret, music, dance and drama.

It takes its place alongside 61 other rhino sculptures on the streets of the historic city for the Rhino Mania exhibition which will run until 12th September.

The Lakes Alive rhino is one of 62 which have been individually designed by talented North West artists. A further 116 ‘mini-rhinos’ have been created by local schoolchildren.

Artist Anna Benson who designed the Lakes Alive rhino says: “I wanted the design for this rhino to reflect the wealth of performances showcased in Lakes Alive and highlight the many different acts that can be seen.

“The Lakes Alive rhino is a vibrant, colourful, cheeky character that captures the magic of this unique art event set in the beautiful landscape of Cumbria.”

Lakes Alive is Cumbria’s unique contribution to the Legacy Trust UK programme which was set up to help build a lasting cultural and sporting legacy from the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
 
It features a world-class array of performers who can be seen largely for free in outdoor locations across Cumbria throughout the summer.

Julie Tait, the director of Kendal Arts International, which runs Lakes Alive along with Manchester International Arts, says: “We’re delighted that Lakes Alive is represented in Chester’s Rhino Mania in this way.  The eclectic and colourful design of the rhino sums up what Lakes Alive is all about – bringing a diverse mix of fabulous acts from across the world to Cumbria.”
Lakes Alive has already wowed audiences across the county with events including Zircus Plus in Barrow, Titanic in Carlisle, a French style fete in Cockermouth and an international puppetry festival in Penrith.

Next on the Lakes Alive agenda is highly respected French artists Commandos Percu who will stage a dazzling extravaganza of sound, fire, light and colour at Maryport on 30th August. Bombs Per Minute will send more than a 1000 fireworks exploding across the Maryport harbour during a thrilling 40-minute show.

 The season will culminate with Mintfest 2010 on 2-5 September in Kendal – four days of mind blowing performances from the world’s finest street artists.

Thanks to its ever growing success, this year’s Mintfest has been extended by another day and to more locations across the town.

There will be another chance to see Commandos Percu and a host of street artists from across the world will descend on the streets of Kendal. 

 One of this year’s highlights will be a stunning show by Luc Amoros from France.  Page Blanche takes place on a giant scaffolded canvas made up of individual squares around which six young singers and artists create a remarkable evening event. 

An exhilarating fresh fusion of live music, performance and visual art, the show uses almost 300 kilograms of paint and 360 square metres of plastic film to create, destroy and recreate unique art works, which reflect on shared histories that have shaped the world we live in.

Rhino Mania follows the massive success of Wild In Art’s Superlambanana public art festival in Liverpool and Manchester’s Cow Parade.

The 5ft by 6ft rhino sculptures form a trail around the city and a free map is available from outlets throughout Chester including the Visitor Information Centre.

Following the rhinos’ ten-week stampede, they will be sold in a gala auction at Chester Racecourse, from which 75 per cent of the net proceeds will go to Chester Zoo’s Black Rhino Field Conservation Project in Africa and local charity, The Hospice of the Good Shepherd.

 Lakes Alive is one of three annual programmes commissioned for WE PLAY, the Northwest cultural legacy programme for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.  WE PLAY is funded by Legacy Trust UK, an independent charity set up to help build a lasting cultural and sporting legacy from the 2012 Olympic Games. The project is led by the Arts Council England Northwest on behalf of a new regional partnership. Lakes Alive is sponsored by the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) and has also received funding from Arts Council England and the Northern Rock Foundation.
 

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