Amanda Parer‘s inflatable public art installations recreate large-scale invasive species (including humans) in their given habitats. The series has a deeper environmental message, though. The artist goes into detail about that in a 2015 interview with Kaltblut:
I enjoy using the rabbit in my work because it holds dual symbolism, one it is a cute, welcoming animal, reminding people of their childhood and the other is that it is an introduced species that has caused great destruction to the delicate Australian ecosystems. The first rabbit arrived with the convicts on the first fleet and we have been unable to eradicate the species ever since. Easily adaptable the rabbits have occupied each corner of the country. I use feral animals in my work as a metaphor for man’s mismanagement and overuse of the environment. I am interested in how easily we anthropomorphize to tell our stories with out fully acknowledging that we are animals too. I use the rabbit to lure the viewer in with its cuteness and sentimentality only to lure the viewer into the more serious environmental messages in the work. These issues have global relevance. The 7 meter high giant glowing rabbits of the light art installation Intrude are in different poses some sitting, standing up and lying down. I wanted them to look like they have just hopped in and made themselves right at home which metaphorically they have. Being oversized emphasises their (our) dominance over the environment. I live in an island state in the south of Australia called Tasmania. It is a land of great dramatic beauty with moody skies and landscapes and holding narrative qualities that I like to thread in my work. Light coming through the darkness depicts a sense of hope or spirituality. The rabbits of Intrude are bright glowing white referring to these themes.
The series Intrude has been installed in over 80 cities around the world since it first appeared at Sydney’s Vivid Festival in 2014. We caught a glimpse of Parer’s giant, chubby bunnies on Colossal and couldn’t resist them.
Watch a video of Parer’s Intrude installation, below.