Cheap at calf the price
London 2002, an alternative public art event, hits the streets of London this June and the hunt for patrons is on.
CowParade consists of 250 life-size fibreglass cows, which are painted and decorated by artists, celebrities and members of the general public. The cows will be on display on the streets of London for 12 weeks from June 17th, and members of the public will be able to vote for their favourite cow by text message. Confirmed Patrons so far include Marks and Spencer, Deloitte and Touche, The Ritz, Alfred Dunhill, Egg, PWC and BP.
Patrons are able to select from the 750 or so designs so far submitted or they may commission a design of their own. There are a number of different sponsorship opportunities available ranging from a single cow, a whole herd, the SMS voting service or even the cow hospital. Benefits of being a cow parade patron include a permanent plaque, marketing rights during the life of the event and discounts on official merchandise.
The project is designed to promote the arts and raise much needed funds for ChildLine, the free, 24-hour helpline for children in trouble or danger and RABI, which provides help to a wide range of the most vulnerable members of the farming community.
CowParade, which has already successfully grazed in Zurich, Chicago and New York, features mooster pieces by artists including Patrick Hughes and celebrities such as Esther Rantzen, Maureen Lipman, Carole Smillie, footballer Graeme le Saux, Sally Gunnell, Des Lynham, and Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen.
At the end of the 12-week exhibition the text message voting results will be announced and the cows will be auctioned off at Sothebys with a large percentage of the funds raised going directly to ChildLine. It is hoped that CowParade will raise over half a million pounds for this worthy cause.
