jack & suzanne

These two LED panels/sculptures by British artist Julian Opie went up in Paradeplatz a few weeks ago. The male figure is "Jack walking" and the female is "Suzanne walking in leather skirt" Both are double sided and in constant movement, and both are fun to look at, epecially at night when the LED lights are brighter.

how now blue cow

The idea of the Cow Parade originated in Zurich in 1998. Hundreds of life size cows were decorated by local artists and then put on display in public spaces for several months. At the end of the exhibit, the cows were auctioned off to raise money for charity. Most of the cows were purchased by local businesses, and some of them can still be found at entrances to restaurants or stores. I found this blue cow resting in the front yard of an expensive looking house in the hilly Zuriberg neighborhood, so it seems this one was purchased by a wealthy art collector, rather than a business.

The Cow Parade caught on and soon brightly painted fiberglass cows were seen parading around other cities throughout the world: Chicago, New York, London, Sao Paulo, Mexico…Since then, Zurich has applied the same public art concept to other themes such as benches, and two summers ago the city was invaded by giant teddy bears. I’ve also seen codfish in Boston, and lions in Munich.

Has your city hosted a cow parade? Or did you have lions, tigers, or bears (oh my!) instead?