A life-sized rhino sculpture designed by an intern at Kennovations Product Design and Engineering helped raise $18,000 at a charity fundraising
auction for Taronga Zoo’s rhino breeding and conservation program.
The ‘ElectroRhino’ was one of 125 life-sized rhino sculptures displayed
at the Taronga Wild! Rhinos, an innovative public exhibition held on the
streets of Sydney, Dubbo and various country regions since February 2014. The
exhibition of rhino sculptures, which aimed to raise public awareness on the
loss of rhinos through poaching and habitat, also included the works of artists
such as Ken Done and Camilla Franks.
From the thousands of design submissions made by designers, Taronga Zoo chose
125 to come to life as sculptures.
The 12-week Taronga Wild! Rhinos exhibition concluded with the auction
offering an opportunity for members of the public to purchase the original
artworks. ElectroRhino was one of the highest bids received at the auction,
selling for $18,000 to a private bidder, Michael Sophocles. In all, the auction
saw 45 of the sculptures being sold and shipped off to their new homes.
The ElectroRhino sculpture was designed by Kennovations intern Jane
Tunistra, and was constructed of black carbon fibre lined with neon lighting to
give a modern electro feel. Jane, an industrial product design student from the
Netherlands, was on an exchange program in Australia as part of her tertiary
studies during the construct of ElectroRhino and has since returned home to
pursue a career in design.
