New Giant Joins Chalk Legend in a Nature-Inspired Art Adventure!

A famous chalk giant carved into a hillside in Dorset has gained a temporary companion thanks to a creative arts project. The Cerne Abbas Giant, which has been a landmark for centuries, now sits beside a new figure called 'Consequences. ' This new artwork was designed by artist Becca Gill, who worked with asylum seekers, schoolchildren, and people with learning disabilities from Yeovil, Somerset. Together, they collected materials from the giant's hill, such as chalk, flowers, and butterfly wings, to help create the figure. The 'Consequences' giant is unique, with eyes made of flowers, ears shaped like butterflies, tentacle-like legs, and a heart made of petals, each representing one of the asylum seekers who helped make it.

Becca Gill said she hoped the project would make both its creators and viewers feel like giants, united in their appreciation of nature. She explained that although the groups lived only a few miles away, none of them had ever visited the Cerne Abbas Giant before. Their reactions were incredible, with one non-verbal child speaking for the first time. The asylum seekers and refugee children were able to play, feel joy, and experience what it was like to be a giant. Unlike the original Cerne Abbas Giant, which is famously male, the new figure is genderless. Gill and her colleagues combined the contributors' drawings and collages to create the final image, which was printed onto four large canvases covering an area of 30 meters by 40 meters, about three-quarters the height of the Cerne Abbas Giant.

The project, which cost £40,000, was funded by the Arts Council and Dorset National Landscape, both supported by the government and Dorset Council. The artwork will be dismantled soon and will tour the region, starting with Summerhouse Hill in Yeovil on 13 and 14 September, where a celebratory parade will take place. The following weekend, it will move to Corfe Castle. The Nature Calling arts project aims to help people feel connected to well-known landscapes and bring communities together through art. Workshops for the project took place outdoors, with participants working on canvases and sharing their ideas. The project has not only created a striking new piece of art but also brought people together, helping them appreciate nature and each other. If you have a story for BBC Dorset, you can get in touch with them. The area is also known for other beautiful spots, such as Cheddar Gorge and the Mendip Hills.