umbrellas

Photo: Gregory Guida

Changing the dynamic for each story has been a great challenge. For Golden Bats and Pink Pigeons (published 1977) we have discovered umbrellas - or perhaps they discovered us.

The umbrellas have lent themselves exquisitely to creating Gerry’s Mauritius pink pigeons and golden bats.

It has been quite important to use the essential, physical, behavoural trait of each animal and then re-create that either in the body and / or with another physical element.

What we don’t ever want to do is somehow be fraudulent in the use of either and thus inadvertently undermine what it is that we are trying to achieve.

The balance that is needed between: the conservational, documentary approach and performance style; the more physical, entertaining, visually dynamic and absorbing animal behaviour; and the often eccentric narrative of Gerald Durrell - is acute in all our creative minds.