What a Hoot!

For two months this summer Birmingham was invaded by dozens of owls, spreading their wings as far afield as Sutton Coldfield, Winson Green and Bournville. ‘The Big Hoot’ involved 89 fibreglass sculptures, each one decorated by a different artist, and placed all over the city for everyone to discover and enjoy.

Three of the owls flew all the way to Kings Heath. One landed in Kings Heath Park, one in the Village Square and one outside the library. The latter was painted by local artist Karoline Rerrie, who lives just down the road in Selly Park. She was delighted that her owl ended up so close to home.

“It took me two weeks to paint him,” she says, over tea and cake at Maison Mayci. “I did feel quite attached to him by the time I’d finished. I don’t know how they decided which owls went where, but I didn’t find out where he was until the map went up online.”

Originally from Northamptonshire, Karoline settled in Birmingham after completing a degree in Graphic Design at what was then the University of Central England (now Birmingham City University). She applied to The Big Hoot in January, enticed by the large scale of the project and its ambition to engage the community. She’s been delighted by the positive response. “It’s been really good to be able to contribute to such an ambitious, Birmingham-based project, and one that involves such a range of artists and styles.”

The owls will be auctioned in October to raise money for Birmingham Children’s Hospital. When I ask Karoline if she’ll be putting in a bid for her owl, she smiles. “I suspect it’ll be too expensive, but if he doesn’t get sold, I’ll happily adopt him. There’s a space in my garden that would be perfect.”

You can find Karoline on her stall at the MAC’s Christmas markets or visit her Facebook page for news and updates.

You can also find out more about The Big Hoot.

Published in My Moseley and Kings Heath, October 2015.