Following the trailblazing success of the colourful sculptures of elephants and gorillas across Norwich in the past few years, more than 80 spectacular dragons are set to fire the imagination of visitors to the city across the summer. Brightly painted, using imaginative designs and innovative materials, the GoGoDragons will stalk into Norwich as part of a fundraising drive by the Norfolk-based children’s charity Break. And with fun-packed community art trails linking the dragons across an array of locations, and the county’s businesses and organisations playing their part as sponsors, they will form a dazzling attraction to lure more people into our fine city.
With vivid designs bringing a blaze of colour to the streets, the fiery GoGoDragons are about to find their lairs across the city.
Following on from the success of elephant and gorilla sculptures, these 2015 incarnations are mythical creatures which have true affinity and symbolism for Norwich. Snap was, of course, the mischievous dragon that paraded through the streets of Norwich on Guild Days in the Middle Ages and who has returned to be part of the Lord Mayor’s Celebrations in recent years.
Some 84 dragons, stunningly created, backed by sponsors, named and adorned with artwork on a range of themes, are set to provide a magical attraction and deliver an intriguing new dimension to the city over the summer before being auctioned on October 1 to raise funds for the Break charity to help it continue its work supporting children, young people and families across East Anglia.
“These dragons will be quite different to the GoGoGorillas in that they have a massive historical link to the city,” explains Martin Green, GoGoDragons 2015 project manager for Break. “The connection between Norwich and dragons goes back centuries, there is a real empathy and synergy with dragons and as a result a major heritage element to what we are trying to do. With the high quality art on the dragons, we hope they will attract people to Norwich and encourage them to explore parts of the city they perhaps have not been to before.”
A Wild in Art event, GoGoDragons 2015 is an interactive arts sculpture trail which also brings 120 baby dragons decorated by schools, youth organisations and community groups, to the city’s streets alongside the 84 large painted sculptures.
With names such as George, Drewscilla, Dragon Queen and Dragon Fly, each of the large dragons sponsored by a local business, group or trust, the sculptures will be in situ from June 21 until September 5. Themes and designs are varied and include watercolour, acrylic, mosaic tiles, car parts, rhinestones, tuppences, 3D modelling and much more.
A trail map showing the locations of the dragons is supported by a special app that has more information about Break, artists, sponsors and the dragons. gogodragons.co.uk
www.break-charity.org ?
