Caravan

Just learned about an interesting twist on the "cow parade" style public art installations that periodically pop up around the world. It comes from Cairo.

The parade installations have been around since 1998 when Zurich produced a number of blank fiberglass cow sculptures and gave them to artists to decorate. The beautiful bovines were distributed throughout the city in the  "Land im Sicht" exhibit, then auctioned off for charity.
Chicago followed suit the next year with its "Cow Parade" and since then cities world wide have followed the concept with subjects from penguins in Liverpool to Cod in Boston, MA.
But back to Cairo- this latest parade is called "Caravan" and comprises 25 life size donkeys. The project was sponsored by the Swiss Embassy as an interfaith art exhibit as both Muslim and Christian artists were asked to  participate. After being shown around the city, the entire group was moved to St. Paul's Cathedral in London where they'll be auctioned off by Sotheby's after they're shown to raise funds for charities that benefit the poor in Egypt.
According to organizers, "The donkey symbolises peace in both Christianity and Islam, and is found in both the Bible and in the Qur’an".
The chancellor of St. Paul's elaborated- “There are over 40 million donkeys on this earth and 96% of them live alongside the poorest people of the world. They are known and loved for their hard work, resilience, loyalty and stubbornness. They have been used for the best and worst of human intentions: from carrying the war wounded to medical help at Gallipoli, to bearing explosives to kill in today’s war zones. Jesus chose a donkey to symbolise the divine humility. Similarly in the Islamic tradition, the Prophet was carried by Ya`fūr. This exhibition, by both Muslim and Christian artists from Egypt, calls us to remember the peoples of that country today and what can be achieved together rather than apart. It also, at a time when both Muslims and Christians suffer persecution for their faith in many places, reminds us that just as the donkeys journey together in the Cathedral towards the Holy, so humans only become spiritually alive when they travel together in peace and with compassion."
For more info go to- Art Daily