KIBALE FAMILY

After visiting an incredible chimp family from Kibale National Park in Uganda, Gillie and Marc were deeply moved by their human-like behaviours and emotions. With 98% shared DNA to our own species, the husband-and-wife artists witnessed an astounding level of empathy, kindness, and love…

 Now, Gillie and Marc are hoping that we humans will love our closest living relatives in return. It’s time to #LoveTheLast chimpanzees, before they’re gone forever.

 The artists sketched, painted and photographed the Kibale chimp family so they could recreate them as the worlds biggest bronze chimp sculpture to capture the hearts of millions, and help save their species from extinction.

 About Chimpanzees

  • Humans share 98% of our DNA with chimpanzees, making them our closest living relative
  • Chimpanzees have about 50 close friends and acquaintances, and spend a great deal of time socializing with shows of affection including hugging and kissing.
  • Many of their facial expressions – surprise, grinning, pleading, comforting – are the same as those of humans
  • Chimpanzees are one of the few animals that knows how to use tools, including stones to open nuts, sticks to retrieve insects, and leaves to scoop up drinking water

     The Kibale Chimpanzee Project spends a great deal of effort on research, education and conservation in the hopes of saving this special family, but desperately needs public awareness and action to succeed.

    ​Gillie and Marc are immortalizing the #KibaleChimps as the biggest interactive chimp sculpture ever created to amaze millions of Londoners and tourists, and save the species from extinction.

    ​HOW? WITH A 5 METRE LONG BRONZE BANQUET TABLE, 12 STOOLS AND A FAMILY OF 6 CHIMPS THAT WILL TOUCH THE HEARTS OF EVERYONE IN LONDON. 

    ​The Kibale chimp family will be expertly sculpted with interesting, human like expressions while sitting around a magnificent table covered in bronze fruits and other food, closely resembling the diet of humans. Some of the chimps will be eating, and each one will sit on alternating stools. The public will be invited to join their banquet, sitting between them to learn more about their incredible features, which are strikingly similar to our own. In front of each member of the Kibale family will be a bronze name, giving people the opportunity to learn more about each incredible chimpanzee. This awe-inspiring 5 meter long bronze sculpture will catalyse millions of memories tied to the installation site, offering audiences a unique photo opportunity they’ll never forget. In the age of social media, where everyone is a photographer, these memories can be shared around the world in an instant!

    The sculpture will be aligned with the hashtags #LoveTheLast and #KibaleChimps to raise unparalleled awareness about the sculpture’s cause across the globe.