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1,600-strong papier mâché panda army lands in Hong Kong
Models pose with some of the 1,600 papier-mache pandas displayed at Hong Kong's international airport on June 9, 2014 as part of their first appearance in the city. The event, consisting of placing the pandas in various cities around the world, was created by French artist Paulo Grangeon in collaboration with the WWF and is aimed at raising awareness of the endangered species. AFP PHOTO / Philippe Lopez
The display at the airport was the first of a series of events planned across the city, as part of a month-long "1600 Pandas World Tour" campaign.
Designed by French sculptor Paulo Grangeon, the panda installation has already been displayed in other cities including Berlin, Paris and Taipei, before reaching Hong Kong, home to several of the bears.
"Themed around pandas' state of endangerment, the army of 1,600 paper mache pandas shines a spotlight on conservation and sustainable development," a press statement issued by PMQ, one of the organizers, said.
Organizers say the city will see "flash mobs of pandas" descend on various Hong Kong landmarks including Victoria Harbour, the Shatin racecourse and the city's trams during the campaign.
According to an article on Grangeon's site, the artist saw Thai papier mâché techniques while in Germany. Grangeon traveled to Thailand several times to learn the method. The pandas were created in factories there out of six original designs Grangeon created.
Videos and pictures of the artwork flooded social networking sites in Hong Kong following the start of the exhibition, including a clip created by a local airline showing paper pandas sitting on board a flight to symbolise their "arrival."
According to environmentalist group WWF, which uses the bear as its logo, there are only about 1,600 giant pandas left in the wild, making it an endangered species. — Agence France-Presse
