THE ANIMAL INSTINCT

This week, Australian artist Amanda Parer announced the launch of her North American tour of Intrude, the highly acclaimed public art installation that features monumental rabbits, each sewn in nylon, inflated and internally lit. Fascinating.

From March – June 2016, the giant rabbits will travel throughout North America, making stops in Washington D.C., San Francisco, Toronto, New York, Houston, Los Angeles, Denver and Memphis. (See schedule below.)

One of the most celebrated and widely viewed pieces of light sculpture ever created, Intrude, which was a prominent work in the 2014 Vivid Festival in Sydney, has brought a joyful spirit to more than 19 major cities throughout the world, including London, Perth, Paris and Boston. The visual humor evoked by the enormous rabbits lures audiences into the artwork to reveal a more serious environmental message.

For artist Amanda Parer, rabbits are an animal of contradiction.

While they often connote a furry innocence, rabbits are considered an invasive pest in the artist’s native Australia, where they have caused a great imbalance to the country’s natural and delicately balanced ecosystems since they were first introduced by white settlers in 1788. Through Intrude, Parer hopes to move people to thoughtfully consider how humans can change and dominate the environment.

Tour schedule is as follows: TORONTO: Monday, March 14 – Wednesday, March 23
Brookfield Place Toronto (181 Bay Street). SAN FRANCISCO: Monday, April 4 – Monday, April 25
Joseph L. Alioto Performing Arts Piazza, located in the heart of San Francisco’s Civic Center. NEW YORK: Sunday, April 17 – Saturday, April 30. Monday – Saturday, 12 -9 p.m. Sunday, 12 – 7 p.m. Brookfield Place (230 Vesey Street). HOUSTON: Monday, May 9 – Saturday, May 14. 1600 Smith Street. LOS ANGELES: Sunday, June 5 – Saturday, June 11. Installation spans three Brookfield properties: Bank of America Plaza (333 South Hope Street) and Wells Fargo Center (330 South Hope Street) on Bunker Hill; and FIGat7th (735 South Figueroa Street) in Downtown LA. DENVER: Two weekends: June 17, 18, 19 and 24, 25, 26
1801 California Street. Republic Plaza (370 17th Street).