WHITLEY was transformed into the land of dinosaurs last week, thanks to a new arts initiative.
Members of The Annual Daydream Harvest created a 30ft tyrannosaurus rex, which they paraded through the streets, much to the delight of youngsters.
Assembled over a two-week period, the Whitleysarus was part of the arts group’s Flamboyance initiative.
The artists used a resident’s front garden for their workshop, creating the prehistoric monster’s skeleton over a pedal car.
“We wanted to take art to people’s front doors,” lead artist Nick Garnett said. “It’s all about people having fun, letting their hair down and not worrying about what other people think.”
‘Whitleysaurus’ began its journey down Dawlish Road at 6pm and was quickly greeted by a cacophony of spoons hitting pans as residents looked on from their front doors and gardens.
The procession was initially made up of four handcrafted vehicles, but was soon joined by children on bikes and a flock of pedestrians.
The annual Flamboyance parades incorporate ‘factofiction’ to transform Whitley into unique and magical worlds based on historical and scientific facts.
However, Mr Garnett said that Whitley holds just as much wonderment in real life as the prehistoric world they showcased.
“The project allows two different worlds to collide. The dinosaurs are fiction, of course, but we realised that the really interesting and colourful characters in these performances are the people standing at their front doors.”
The Annual Daydream Harvest secured £62,000 in funding from the English Arts Council and Big Local Trust at the start of the first lockdown. Garnett hopes the success of initiatives like Flaboyance can give rise to a sustainable outdoor arts community in Whitley.
“Community has to be at the heart of it.” Mr Garnett said. “The project gives locals a platform to enjoy art, but also take part and learn new skills.”
