2024 sees the opening of the new reptile house at London Zoo,
Gary was commissioned to create a giant mosaic gecko for the new building
At just a few centimeters the tiny Williams Dwarf Gecko is easy to miss. Living in a tiny area of Tanzania, the sevearly endangered species was a slightly unplanned resident at the Zoological Society of London’s London Zoo.
The electric blue gecko has also been a prize of the illegal pet trade and when a groups of these geckos were seized at UK Customs the Zoo became their new protective home.
A mosaic sculpture for the new London Zoo reptile house
London mosaic artist, Gary Drostle, was commissioned to create a giant entrance feature mosaic sculpture of the colourful electric blue gecko.
Gary wanted the 3 metre gecko sculpture to cling to the wall at the entrance. This turned out to be quite a technical challenge which needed some special engineering to achieve.
The sculpture was carved by the artist in close consultation which herpetologists at the zoo to ensure the correct shape for this tiny reptile. Then the bright blue skin, perfectly mimicked by glass beads was applied to the sculpture by Gary in his London studio.
“I knew as soon as I saw the gecko that these glass beads would be perfect for the gecko skin, both their colour and texture.” – Gary commented