Some very large inflatable white rabbits, illuminated in stark white light, have been invading festivals around the world. The bunnies of Intrude stand tall yet relaxed at 7m high and appear to be quite at home in their new patch.

Why rabbits?

Rabbits in artist Amanda Parer’s native Australia are an out of control pest, leaving a trail of ecological destruction wherever they go and defying attempts at eradication. First introduced by white settlers in 1788 they have caused a great imbalance to the countries endemic species. The rabbit also is an animal of contradiction.

They represent the fairytale animals from our childhood – a furry innocence, frolicking through idyllic fields. Intrude deliberately evokes this cutesy image, and a strong visual humour, to lure you into the artwork only to reveal the more serious environmental messages in the work. They are huge, the size referencing “the elephant in the room”, the problem, like our environmental impact, big but easily ignored.