Big Summer Send Off
Bristol Zoo
A farewell summer programme at Bristol Zoo Gardens, marking the final season at its historic Clifton site, brought to life through performance, storytelling and a 7metre tall animatronic gorilla sculpture, Wilder.
During the summer of 2022, Bakehouse Factory were proud to deliver this unique summer send-off for Bristol Zoo Gardens- an emotional farewell as they prepared to close the gates to the Clifton site after more than 186 years.
Our aim with this project was to give the zoo the send off they deserved, honouring their legacy and long standing conservation work by creating a shared celebration and reflecting on decades of memories.
The centrepiece of the celebrations was Wilder, a large-scale interactive sculpture standing on the main lawn sitting at a whopping 7 metres tall. Wilder was made in our Bristol workshop from sustainable, reclaimed timber. She came to life, moving her arm to “eat” lettuce, spray water, and reveal her baby, Monty-Alen, hidden in the crook of her arm. This interaction thrilled crowds throughout the summer and attracted tens of thousands of visitors from the UK and beyond.
The baby Gorilla's name was inspired by Monte Alen National Park in Equatorial Guinea, where the Bristol Zoological Society works to protect western lowland gorillas in the wild.
Families were also invited to take part in a specially written interactive theatrical experience created for Bristol Zoo Gardens’ summer programme. The experience guided visitors on an adventure through the site as they explored animals, conservation themes and the actions people can take to support the future of the planet. We collaborated closely with Bristol Zoo Gardens throughout, ensuring the work responded to both the site and its legacy.
As well as looking back on many special moments and memories, the summer events looked to the future of the new Bristol Zoo. This was reflected in everything down to the positioning of Wilder the gorilla who was placed on the lawn, looking towards the new home.
The campaign was a huge success driving thousands of visitors and generating significant press attention and celebrating the zoo’s incredible conservation work. It engaged visitors of all ages, honouring the rich legacy of one of the world’s oldest zoos whilst looking towards an exciting future. At the end of the summer the much loved gorilla found a new home at the Bristol zoo project where she still stands today.
“Bakehouse Factory were a joy to work with. In the final summer of Bristol Zoo Gardens being open to the public we wanted to create a fitting celebration with high impact and to a tight and immovable timescale. All elements were delivered brilliantly, on time and within budget.”
Chris Mansfield, Bristol Zoo Gardens
Widespread press & media coverage
Wilder was featured on BBC and uK news channels, was covered by national press, featured in the Guardian Picturs of the day and created a storm on social media.
