To read this blog in Welsh please click here.Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be a woodland animal? To fly like an owl, jump like a frog or flutter like a dragonfly? Well visitors were able to do just that this July, right in the heart of Cardiff’s Bute Park. Following the success of TAPE in Bute Park last August – which saw a giant spider web being built in the trees – our Giving Nature a Home in Cardiff project brought the wild to life through a virtual reality venture, aptly named In the Eyes of the Animal. Working with creators, Marshmallow Laser Feast and arts organisation, Migrations, we invited the public to experience the world anew through a 360 degree virtual reality experience in the middle of the trees. By keeping their feet firmly on the woodland floor visitors wore bespoke virtual reality headsets – carefully camouflaged into the trees by lichen and moss. They were then transported on a multi sensory journey through the eyes of a midge, a dragon fly, a frog and an owl native to Bute Park. Alongside the experience visitors could also enjoy some fun family activities, all with a digital twist – from wildlife hunts in the woods to nature safaris in the trees.
Images: Martyn Poynor In the Eyes of the Animal was completely free of charge and run by 25 extremely dedicated volunteers, all of which donated a fantastic 800 hours of their time to help nature this summer. The volunteers provided over 2,800 visitors with a truly magical moment in and amongst the trees, immersing them into the park’s woodland wildlife. Although the installation came to a close on the 4 of August, In the Eyes of the Animal can now live on. Working with the Friends of Bute Park we will off-set the carbon footprint used within the installation, by giving nature a helping hand and planting some beautiful trees within the park. We’re lucky to have some fantastic parks and green spaces in Cardiff but sometimes it can be all too easy to live in a city without giving any real thought to the natural world around us. In the Eyes of the Animal allowed visitors to identify with the wildlife on their doorstep from a totally new perspective this summer, enhancing that wonderful sense of wonder that the natural world evokes. We’re always on the lookout for some new volunteers to join the Giving Nature a Home in Cardiff family, so if you fancy being part of the team then please email cymru@rspb.org.uk.“Awesome, good, fun, amazing” “The feeling was brilliant and seeing the world like animals do made you see the importance of our animals” “Interesting and memorable” “Another wonderful world” “Absolutely fantastic and gave me the chance to experience something completely new” (Above: some comments by members of the public who participated)