For the Love of Gulls
Collaborative community parade project, led by RSPB Scotland. A multi-partnership collaboration involving How It Felt, ScrapAntics Family Club, Wild Dundee, Caroisma, C.Gull and Haystack Monolith.
Project overview
For the 'Love of Gulls' was a collaborative project celebrating urban wildlife, education, and creativity to open up the conversation around seagulls and their behaviour around littering.
RSPB Scotland's Wild Dundee project manager Hope Busak led the project, alongside Neil Crutchley from ScrapAntics.
Through a series of creative workshops, families learnt about the behaviour of gulls, including the impact of littering, recycling and how we can have more positive relationships with these local birds, who have learned to snatch our sausage rolls!
How It Felt led a workshop with Family Club Dundee to create seagull costumes and decorate feathers for our large collaborative Herring Gull puppet named ‘Gloria’. 🪶
A few weeks later, the families paraded from the ScrapAntics space in the Wellgate Shopping Centre to the McManus Museum, for a performance of seagull movements, led by Caroisma, soundtracked by a seagull waltz song which was written and performed by Haystack Monolith (Mark Urban) and Seth Bennet, engaging the public in our campaign.
The flock of gulls from Family Club Dundee got to show off their beautiful costumes, followed by 'Gloria' the large sea-gull puppet created by How It Felt, all whilst displaying positive protest signs created by local graffiti artist C.Gull.
We finished by making lovely "Gullentine Day" cards with local artist Lauren Herd to show our love for gulls! ❤
With Thanks To...
RSPB Scotland and Wild Dundee Project Manager Hope Busak
Family Club and ScrapAntics
Mark McGreehin for puppet building support
Thingumajig for sharing their giant puppet building expertise
Project Gallery
Project Videos
Final Results
For the Love of Gulls Parade film
Short film made by RSPB videographer, Stephen, highlighting the final parade day. Duration: 6 minutes 44 seconds.
What Participants Say
"What you guys are doing is so important because of your kindness and empathy, the world needs that. You have big hearts and you'll be able to go so far wherever you turn your head."
— Participant and Parent
“I think it’s really good that people have spaces like this”
— Participant
“Thank you so much, this has been amazing!”
— Partnership Staff
"This has been my favourite day working at RSPB so far!"
— Stephen
RSPB Videographer
"This structure of How It Felt facilitating creative workshops with people to design the feathers and then making a big puppet is so effective, I love it”
— Hope Busak
Wild Dundee Project Manager