Nest Making by artists Gillie and Marc

CLICK HERE TO DONATE DIRECTLY TO WWF UK 

VISIT THIS SCULPTURE AT KINGSTON UPON THAMES FROM 27 JAN

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TITLE
Wild Chimp Nest Making

NAME
Noah (Hebrew origin meaning rest or peace)

GENDER
Male

AGE
6

Chimpanzees make their nests in the trees, bending down branches and leaves to make a comfortable leafy bed. High above any predators, chimps can feel safe while they get some shuteye, about 8-9 hours every night (similar to us).

They can be quite fussy about the trees they choose. The branches need to be extremely durable with no risk of them snapping and sending the chimp on an uncomfortable and potentially deadly plummet. A study in Uganda found that chimps loved to build their nests in a tree called the Ugandan ironwood, a very rare tree that only made up 9.6% of the trees in the area. Even so, 7 out of 10 times the chimps would seek them out.

All great apes, including us, are very unique in the fact that we build sleeping platforms or beds. Other primates don’t put in nearly as much effort, electing to fall asleep on branches. This shift to bed making happened sometime between 23-5 million years ago with the purpose of giving us a better night’s sleep. With more time in REM sleep, it improves cognition and memory, very important for our big brains!

HOW TO HELP 
​Based off real animals that Gillie and Marc met while studying, the public will be able to meet individual animals. This will help them to realise that there are apes with unique personalities, thoughts and emotions. The loss of one individual is just as devastating as losing an individual human.

With public art, more people will come into contact with these sculptures, will stop and consider them, will take a photograph, and will discuss this with their friends and family. Through this increased exposure, the message of love, family, and conservation will be spread much further than any piece of art in a gallery ever could. It will bring people into close contact and will help them to fall in love. With love comes a greater urge to want to create a change and save the great apes.

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

To help protect the great apes you can adopt a chimp and help them via the WWF: https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/chimpsarefamily

If you are interested in buying chimpanzee related art, you will also be directly helping real chimps in the wild with 30% going to WWF to continue their fantastic work for chimpanzee conservation: Click here to browse art > https://gillieandmarc.com/collections/chimps

ABOUT GILLIE AND MARC
Gillie and Marc’s highly coveted public artworks can be found worldwide including in New York, London, Singapore, Shanghai, and Sydney. They are Archibald Prize finalists, won the Chianciano Biennale in Italy, took out the Allens People’s Choice Award in 2016 and 2018 and Kids’ Choice Award in the 2016 Sculpture by the Sea and received the Bayside Arts Festival People's Choice Award in 2019 in Sydney.

The husband-and-wife duo are on a mission to make art for a better tomorrow. They are best known for their beloved characters, Rabbitwoman and Dogman, who tell the autobiographical tale of two opposites coming together as best friends and soul mates.

Gillie and Marc are also passionate eco-warriors and have dedicated their lives to protecting nature.

Gillie grew up with the wildlife in Zambia and Marc studied chimpanzees in Tanzania as a young man. Over time, the artists developed a deep appreciation for all living things and a desire to preserve the magnificence of the natural world. 

Through their art, Gillie and Marc aim to transform passive audiences into passionate advocates for animal conservation. Their mission is to use their work as a platform to continue spreading awareness about endangerment, which will ultimately lead to change and save species from extinction.

Their art has raised hundreds of thousands in donations for the many wildlife charities and causes they support through their project Love The Last.

Please follow @gillieandmarcart