Giraffe About Town: botanical sculpture brings beauty to Bruntsfield

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The Giraffe About Town project is a partnership between the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) and Wild in Art and hopes to raise much-needed funds for wildlife conservation.

The art trail will run until August 29 before culminating in a farewell weekend at Edinburgh Zoo in September where the charming giraffes will be auctioned off.

Giraffa Botanica is a nod to the beauty of the Scottish woodlands, displaying colourful thistles, primroses and other Scottish wild flowers.

For the next month we will introduce you these impressive creatures, their story and where you can spot them.

Today we feature Giraffa Botanica, which can be found at Bruntsfield Links.

This vibrant sculpture has been painted in a decorative, folk art style, detailing colourful flowers and interconnecting vines to reflect the buzzing essence of the Scottish woodlands.

The botanical themed pattern on the giraffe’s body displays stylistic interpretations of thistles, primroses and other Scottish wild flowers, with the intricate, bright flowers contrasting against the darker backdrop made up of a tapestry of vines.

Samantha Dolan is a Scottish artist whose passion for the natural world can be seen throughout her body of work.

Created by Scottish artist and illustrator, Samantha Dolan, her design is a nod to the beautiful plant life that can be found across Scotland.

Samantha said she takes inspiration from the natural world, myth and folklore and likes nothing better than getting lost in the woods with a sketchbook and set of watercolour paints. Samantha’s body of work includes prints, paintings and illustrations for children’s books.

Giraffa Botanica is proudly sponsored by S. Luca’s Dairy Ice-Cream, a family run business that has served Edinburgh and Musselburgh since 1908. After visiting this stunning giraffe why not visit S. Luca’s Morningside shop, located a short walk from the beautiful artwork.

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You can download the Giraffe About Town App to help you explore the trail and also be in with a chance to win prizes.

When you find a sculpture, enter the four digit code into the app and you might unlock a reward from one of our sponsors.

You can also add to the gallery of sculptures, vote for your favourite and track how far you have walked whilst doing the trail.

The app costs 89p with proceeds going to the RZSS.