The hugely popular Unicorn Fest is underway with the trail already a planned weekend outing for many families. But the vandalism on a few of the statues in the first week of the trail has seen organisers rushing to repair the damage and pleading with the public not to destroy the unicorns.
Bristol artist, Bo Lanyon, who led the team who created the Golden Unicorn at this year’s Unicorn Fest, said he found it “quite shameful” for those who had damaged the unicorns. He said: “There’s such a huge amount of goodwill involved for everybody around the Unicorn Fest and it’s raising funds for Leukaemia Care.
"The golden unicorn is specifically raising money for children with leukaemia, so I find it quite shameful for the person who did this. Perhaps they don’t know why the unicorns are there ?” he said.
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Lanyon, who holds at MA from the Royal College of Art and whose most recent projects include a monumental painting for the £16 million Moxy Hotel in Bristol, is one of the small army of artists who have spent months designing and creating 60 uniquely different unicorns.
He said: “Making the unicorn has been a journey, working out the best way to get the finish I wanted that didn’t mimic metal and gold. Gold leaf turned out to be the answer, which suited the sculpture perfectly.”
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He said after moving to Bristol 12 years ago, he quickly spotted the gold unicorn sculpture on top of the city hall. He said: “But it’s so far away from us, it’s more of an accidental spot on the horizon rather than something you can just stroll up to and enjoy - which we can do here.”
He said the concept behind the Golden Unicorn at this year’s Fest was to create a sense that “it’s a little bit magical walking up to it in full sun, as it reflects the light so well and almost glows. Gilding is an ancient technique with a rich history stretching all the way back to the Egyptians, across art and architecture, a skilled, hands-on, meticulous way of working and converting objects into something precious and special.”
He said support and skill of Amalgam Modelmaking in Bristol helped him to bring the unicorn to life, adding “it’s a great chance to work with craftspeople in the city to bring the Golden Unicorn to life for Unicorn Fest.”
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Having grown up in Cornwall with the influence of his grandfather, Peter Lanyon, a well-known artist who exhibited at the Tate, Bo moved to Bristol after finishing at the Royal College in London. He is based at Spike Island and said: “Bristol hugely appealed to me, it was close to my family in one direction and not far from London.
“But most of all, it was the culture, people and values of Bristol which appealed to me. I felt welcomed here and it’s home now and it’s a great place to be an artist.” During his teen years in Penzance, he was into music, joining lots of bands and deejaying, but then “realised art was what I wanted to do.”
A lot of his art explores the core human desire to connect and hands are often depicted in his work. He said it was the first time he has worked with Unicorn Fest and since the launch of the trail and the incidents of vandalism, he said: “on the flip side, as an artist, people have been embracing the trail and there has been a great response, especially from young families.
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“The unicorn is a mythical creature and it was a chance to connect with a new audience and appeal to children and younger families to go on a trail and catch a unicorn, what a great day out. We can bring a bit of magic to the city and at the same time raise funds for someone who has been affected by leukaemia.”
Bo was one of the first Saatchi Gallery and Channel 4’s New Sensations after graduating. He has work in the Zabludowicz Collection & is currently based at Spike Island, Bristol. Recent solo exhibitions include: The Death of Optimus Prime , Test Space at Spike Island, Bristol (2019); Age of Panic , White Moose Gallery, Barnstaple (2017) and His next solo exhibition will be at Auction House in Redruth, Cornwall in 2024.
