Artist Jenny Urquhart with her Shaun in the City sculpture, aptly named Lambmark Larry
Press release issued:
25 March 2015
A giant Shaun the Sheep sculpture covered in London landmarks will greet millions of passengers passing through Paddington Train Station from Saturday [28 March]. The colourful creature, created by Bristol-based artist Jenny Urquhart and sponsored by the University of Bristol, is one of 50 sculptures adorning the capital for two months as part of the Shaun in the City public arts trail.
Aptly named ‘Lambmark Larry’, the 5ft character is covered in no less than 73 pigeons, 30 famous landmarks and one sheep. He will be stationed at platform 8.
Jenny, who is well-known for her contemporary and vibrant cityscapes, spent around 50 hours painting Lambmark Larry.
She said: “I’m so excited for Lambmark Larry to finally be unveiled. It’s amazing to think just how many people will see him at Paddington Station and have their photos taken with him. It’s brilliant that the University is sponsoring my London Shaun as both my sister and husband are Bristol University graduates.
“My Shaun was inspired by the many cityscapes I’ve painted of London. The city has a colourful array of landmarks and I've tried to display some of my favourite ones on the sculpture. A pair of tame pigeons visit my studio window bird feeder everyday so I thought I would also include them on Lambmark Larry, given how many pigeons there are in London.
“I spent around 50 hours painting him over several weeks. It’s quite tricky painting while maintaining a crouched position under his tummy, tail or chin – I banged my head at least five times a day!”
Shaun in the City follows in the footsteps of the hugely popular Gromit Unleashed trail which transformed the streets of Bristol in 2013. This time it will be an even bigger spectacle, with trails held in both London and Bristol to raise funds for Wallace & Gromit’s Children’s Charity, which supports sick children in hospitals throughout the UK.
Shaun in the City coincides with the Chinese Year of the Sheep and follows the release of Aardman Animations’ Shaun the Sheep the Movie, which saw the mischievous character make his big screen debut.
It’s expected to attract visitors and interest from across the globe. Paddington Station alone has over 30 million passengers every year.
Bristol University has a strong commitment to public art and has supported previous art trails in the city. The ‘Going Going Gone’ gorilla which was part of the Wow! Gorillas trail in 2011 to celebrate Bristol Zoo’s 175th anniversary now lives in the new Life Sciences building and Gromit sculpture ‘Bark at Ee’ is inside the Wills Memorial Building.
Further information
About the Wallace & Gromit’s Children’s Charity
The Wallace & Gromit’s Children’s Charity is a national charity raising funds to support and improve the lives of children in hospitals and hospices throughout the UK. The Charity supports a network of children’s hospitals and hospices in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, granting funding for projects that provide comforts and facilities for patients including state of the art equipment, family accommodation, art, music and play therapy as well as direct costs for hospice care, respite care and sensory equipment. The Charity to date has awarded around £2 million in over 200 grants to children’s hospitals and hospices throughout the UK.
Wallace & Gromit’s Children’s Charity will benefit from funds raised from the flock of 50 sculptures placed in London during spring 2015.
Funds raised from the auction of the 70 Shaun in the City sculptures placed in Bristol in the summer will benefit Wallace & Gromit’s Grand Appeal, the Bristol Children’s Hospital Charity.
Shaun in the City
Shaun in the City is a public arts trail from Wallace & Gromit’s Children’s Foundation, the team behind the award-winning Gromit Unleashed trail in 2013.
120 5ft sculptures of Shaun the Sheep will be designed and decorated by famous artists, designers and celebrities, of which 50 will placed in iconic locations in London (28 March to 25 May 2015) and 70 will be placed in Bristol (6 July to 31 August 2015). The trail will culminate in a public exhibition and charity auction in autumn 2015.
Aardman Animations & Shaun the Sheep
Aardman Animations is an award winning British animation studio that has an outstanding global reputation for creating enduringly popular characters and quality family entertainment.
Shaun the Sheep made his debut in 1995 in the Oscar-winning Wallace & Gromit short film, A Close Shave. Since then he’s gone on to become a global superstar with his show on TV in 170 territories. His first feature length movie will hit cinemas in February 2015. Shaun was recently voted the nation’s best loved BBC children’s character of all time in a survey by the Radio Times.
