This
site has been created to document and record the travels of
Dennis and expriences of his brothers
and sisters.
Dennis was the first of the family to get itchy feet (not Athlete's
Foot) and soon realised that the urge to travel in him was very
strong.Since Dennis left the country his brothers and sisters
have all expressed the need to travel great distances in search
of some kind of reason for their existence.Dennis is currently
assisting Dave Houston, a ranger for the Department of Conservation
in New Zealand, and has been there since October '99 and shows
no sign of wanting to come home. Since Dennis there have been
numerous penguin adventures including Hong
Kong, New York, Canada
and Bristol Zoo. All the ‘residencies’
have been compiled and presented on this website specifically
created for this work.
I have had a penguin working with Washington University, Seattle,
preparing for an expedition to the North
Pole (first non-commercial penguin to the North Pole, I
believe).
The most recent hosts, to date, are teachers in Hawaii
and Alaska. All these, I hope, will make
extremely interesting residencies to be documented on this website.
My intentions are to raise awareness to the issues that can
be found within the work such as conservation, waste and wildlife
protection. I have approached them using humour, not with a
wagging finger, as I believe that humour is far more effective
especially with children. I have already been contacted by a
number of kindergarten schools regarding the work and the issues
involved.
I wish to establish a network of ‘paper penguin’ residencies
(not necessarily permanent) around the world in locations of
conservation, ecological and educational importance, that will
send back documentation (in the form of e-mail) and photographs.
The information of each penguin's experiences of the culture
and lifestyle of their location will then be published on this
website.
In 2001, once I had finished my degree, I travelled to Australia
and New Zealand and learnt a lot more about penguins and the
people who work with them. Whilst I was in New Zealand I popped
down to Oamaru to visit Dennis and
Dave and ended up staying with them for a couple of weeks (off
and on). I got to see the blue penguin colony and meet the great
people who work there. They made my visit very special and looked
after me well and I can't wait to return. I fancy a 'Cri Pie'
as well! I will post pictures of my visit on the site as soon
as I can.
My
intention is to make this site fun and educational as well as
being environmentally informative. The penguins give an insight
into different cultures and lifestyles around the world and
will hopefully raise awareness of the fragility of life and
the need to educate people to protect it. As far as I know this
art work is unique and has great potential.
What I have stumbled upon is an exciting, unpredictable artwork
that has captured the imagination of many people around me and
worldwide. Yet, to place it into a category is, I find, the
hardest part of this project. The family are all made of newspaper,
these are then sent to people around the world or country. At
the moment, the strongest issue here seems to be one of communication.
Each penguin is made of text and stories; each penguin is sent
by post; each penguin is received by another person; the other
person contacts me and a dialogue is established. The whole
of my work relies on communication, not with people I know but
with complete strangers. Their involvement in the work is as
important (if not moreso) as mine and none of this work could
be carried out without the cooperation and enthusiasm of these
fine people.
If anyone has any questions regarding my work please don’t hesitate
to contact me.
Each
penguin does have a brief biography but they do tend to try
and make themselves far more interesting than they actually
are. I don't know whether this is a trait in all penguins but
it certainly seems to be in mine!
I
am constantly seeking funding and/or sponsorship so that I can
continue with this work. If anyone has any suggestions for funding,
sponsorship or whatever please contact
me.
I
hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoy creating it.
Guy Wooles BA(Hons)
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