Florentijn Hofman

Florentijn Hofman’s sculptures of monumental friendly animals are internationally famous, and his latest collaboration with UAP adds a giant panda to this portfolio. Selfie Panda is a colossal artwork at 26m long, 13m wide and 13m high, offering the interactive capability to takes ‘selfies’ with the public. The work is a direct reference to the ongoing conservation efforts to protect the species by creating a clever social commentary, offering large scale community engagement and attracting global attention.

UAP was engaged by the client from the onset of this project, developing a curatorial scope followed by the design, engineering, fabrication and installation of the work. Over 3 million strands of painted wire were screwed into the perforated aluminium body of the sculpture to create a tactile and weatherproof fur coat. The selfie stick showcases a large programmed LED screen with a camera embedded into it, emulating a real phone. Visitors are encouraged to take selfies via a custom developed mobile application.