The Bat-Human Project – Remnant/Emergency ArtLab

The Bat – Human Project is an interdisciplinary arts initiative that looks at the similarities between us and those curious little orange and brown winged creatures we share Sydney’s airspace with: the Grey-Headed Flying Fox, more commonly known as the humble fruit bat.

The group behind the Bat – Human Project is the REMNANT/EMERGENCY ArtLab: a team of new media artists, scientists, academics and urban planners, all working together to share their knowledge and experience to examine relationships between humans and animal species – in this case, Sydney’s famous bats.

The ArtLab is particularly interested in the implications of planned attempts to relocate the large bat colony from the Royal Botanic Gardens and poses the question of whether there are other long-term sustainable solutions to this bat-meets-human’ dilemma.

“Bats and humans need each other. They desperately need us to protect and build their habitat and, in turn, we need them to pollinate our native forests,” says new media artist Dr Keith Armstrong, who heads up the Bat – Human Project. “Our urgent task as artists is to help influence hearts and minds by creating powerful images of what a sustainable world might be like.”

Taking place during sunset on Friday 29th April in Cook & Phillip Park in the city, the free event is open to anyone keen to better understand our batty urban co-inhabitants. There’ll be the opportunity to meet bats up close and literally just hang around with them, Q&A sessions with bat experts, bat photography and documentary films, and fun kids’ activities including bat mask-making and dress-ups.

Bring along a picnic and enjoy the evening with family and friends while the bats make their iconic flight overhead against the magnificent backdrop of the city at sunset.

The Bat – Human Project
Friday 29th April, 2011
Cook & Phillip Park, Sydney
(below St Mary’s Cathedral)
5pm – 8pm | free, all-ages event

www.remnantartlab.com/the-bat-human-event