Paula the polar bear puppetry

This summer, Turner Contemporary has hosted a special guest who has been inspiring visitors to think about climate change: Paula the Polar Bear, a life-sized puppet operated by two puppeteers, loaned from Greenpeace.Paula the Polar Bear also appeared elsewhere in Margate, being seen by thousands of people at Margate Train Station, on Margate promenade by the Nayland Rock Shelter and at Margate Pride. She visited the major funders who donated to the campaign, Shepherd Neame in Faversham, St Lawrence College in Ramsgate, and Canterbury Cathedral. Turner Contemporary would like to thank all of the 292 funders who donated to the crowdfunding campaign through Art Happens that enabled the gallery to bring Paula the Polar Bear to Margate.

The gallery would like to say a huge thank you to the skilful puppeteers, James Frost, Oscar Keeys, Stephen Foy-Philip, Beth Hipwell, Yana Penrose and Arthur Palmer, who worked so hard to make Paula come alive assisted by Heather Tait and Robert Anderson. They gave a workshop to some of the supporters of the crowd funding campaign, teaching them how to operate Paula.