In April 2025, the animals set to travel 20,000km from the Congo Basin in central Africa to the Arctic Circle in Norway, representing species displaced by climate breakdown. At each stop, new animals joined the journey - each built from recycled materials and animated through intricate puppetry.
Wimbledon students played a critical role in the shaping of this project. Over more than 15 months, students from BA (Hons) Technical Arts for Theatre and Screen built, tested and refined the first puppet animals, working from prototype designs developed by South Africa’s Ukwanda Puppets and Designs Art Collective and project artistic director Amir Nizar Zuabi.
The puppets – of a diverse range of elephants, giraffes, lions, wild dogs, kudus, monkeys and more - will march through London from 27 - 29 June, many of them having been built and tested by Wimbledon College of Arts students, in the college workshop, in collaboration with Ukwanda Puppets and Design Arts collective.
THE HERDS was officially launched at Wimbledon College of Arts in summer 2024, when the animals took their first steps in the local park. Students have been embedded in the production process ever since - working hands-on with materials, animatronics and performance practices to ensure each animal has its own distinct movement and personality. Students from BA (Hons) Acting and Performance and BA Contemporary Theatre and Performance courses have also supported live testing and puppeteering.
The project was led by Jayne Knowles, Jane McFadyen, Esther Armstrong, Simon Stringer and Lucie Dinsdale.