Along the way, more puppet species characteristic to the countries they visit will join the group. By the time the project reaches Norway, 150 more puppets will have been recruited.
In each new city too, events and performances will respond as the herds move. Artists and climate activists from all over the world will be involved in these events in each city The Herds passes through, with pieces that speak to specific climate concerns of the region. In Madrid, they will address floods in collaboration with Compañía Nacional de Danza (The Spanish National Dance Company). In Arles, acclaimed company Gratte Ciel will present a visual aerial performance. Paris will see the group at the Palais Royale with celebrated video projection artist Étienne Giol creating an eerie night spectacle, while in Copenhagen, visitors will be invited to camp overnight with the animals. Local community groups are encouraged to collaborate and launch their own events.
The project’s co-founder, the Palestinian playwright and director Amir Nizar Zuabi, told the BBC that the initiative “offers audiences across the world a stark artistic image, overwhelming in grandeur and alarm.” It also “strives to bring a perspective shift to the climate crisis,” he added.
“The idea is that we’re migrating with an ever evolving, growing group of animals,” he also told The Guardian.
Photo: Kashope Faje/88 Life Studios
