It would be nice if something made sense for a change – Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland
So many bunnies!
BUNNIES BY THE CRACKING ART GROUP, Paris (2009) Photo: THEADORA BRACK
See
This week I gathered a variety of rabbit sculptures from around the world. There were so many. So, so, so many rabbits! (see what I did there?)
Intrude by Amanda Parer on view at the Lumina Festival in Cascais. Photo by Mixy Lorenzo,
While the animals have quite a bit of adorable whimsy to them, Australian artist Parer created them to bring attention to the ecological destruction they are bringing to her home country. Rabbits are an out-of-control pest in Australia and according to the artist are bringing a great imbalance to native species. She now, quite humorously, brings these rabbits around the world to “intrude” on other lands. (Artwork Archive)
Re-Production, 2016, Cracking Art
In Cracking Art artistic philosophy, the rabbit is one of the most charming animals. It is not only an animal friendly to humans but also a creature full of allegorical meanings, often associated in stories and fairy tales with the dimension of the dreams and the surreal. (Cracking Art) Cracking Art Group is a collective of artists from Italy, France, and Belgium, who create public installations of massive sculptural animals made from brightly colored recyclable plastic.
13 metre (42 feet) toy rabbit by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman in Örebro, Sweden, 2011.
According to one review, “the installation explores the notion of scale and urban perspective by providing a new focal point in the open square.”
Cottontail on the Trail, Minneapolis, MN, Jeff Barber
The piece "isn't glitzy or challenging—it's just a big-a** bunny that reliably brings smiles to passersby." (City Pages) Kids and families are drawn to it and it can frequently be seen “dressed up for the holidays” or current events by locals.
“One-Eyed Jack” Scottsdale, Arizona, John Randall Nelson
One-Eyed Jack is a symbol of fecundity and rebirth, and like Lewis Carroll’s fictional White Rabbit, it beckons us to make the leap down the rabbit hole into Wonderland.
“Max Rabbitat” by Mary Johnson, St.Paul, MN
“Max Rabbitat” is not your usual 4,000-pound rabbit with hubcap eyes, so get up real close. It’s embedded with delightful bits of yard-sale mundanity. Cookie cutters, puzzle pieces, clothespins—and I found at least one action figure and a spoon. is not your usual 4,000-pound rabbit with hubcap eyes, so get up real close. It’s embedded with delightful bits of yard-sale mundanity. (TC Daily Planet)
Say
Rabbits have had a long history in art and literature.
Why do you think the rabbit is such a relatable animal?
Rabbits are most common in North America, how do you think these sculptures are received by those who have not grown up with them hopping around their yards?
Which rabbit sculpture would you most like to see and why?
Do
Name as many rabbits from books, movies, fables, and art as you can!
Marvel in these rabbit facts!
A baby rabbit is called a kit, a female is called a doe and a male is called a buck.
Like cats, happy rabbits purr when they’re content and relaxed.
Rabbits gestate for only 30 days, and usually have litters of between 4 and 12 babies (kits), depending on the breed. Once the babies are born, the doe can mate and get pregnant again as soon as the following day. If they maintain a pace like that and all the kits survive, the large-litter breeds are looking at about 100 babies per season. Stretch that out over a lifetime, and you've got over 1000 babies per rabbit. (Mental Floss)
Chinese Zodiac Outlook for 2023 (Whew!)
Whereas 2022 was a hectic year that required maximum energy output in order to achieve success, 2023 is a far less turbulent period. You will benefit this year from a more relaxed pace in which more effort should be exerted on self-reflection and achieving balance.
