{"id":11640,"date":"2022-08-10T12:52:47","date_gmt":"2022-08-10T12:52:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/birmingham-bull-photographers-share-images-on-instagram"},"modified":"2022-08-10T13:53:55","modified_gmt":"2022-08-10T13:53:55","slug":"birmingham-bull-photographers-share-images-on-instagram","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/birmingham-bull-photographers-share-images-on-instagram","title":{"rendered":"Birmingham bull: Photographers share images on Instagram"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Botswana. <\/strong><\/span>It’s just over a week since a giant mechanical bull strode into the Alexander Stadium in Birmingham and delivered a show-stopping performance.<\/b><\/p>\n

It provided the undoubted “wow ” moment at the opening of the Commonwealth Games.<\/p>\n

Brummies instantly took the bull to their hearts, and the original plan to dismantle it after the Games finished was quickly shelved.<\/p>\n

Tens of thousands of people have crammed into Centenary Square to see it and it was hardly a surprise when the city council announced it would stay in place until the end of September – before being moved to an indoor venue in the city.<\/p>\n

The bull has proved a magnet for photographers too, who’ve been sharing their images with the BBC Midlands Instagram account.<\/p>\n

Here’s a small selection of the wonderful photographs of a structure that will surely go down in history as one of Birmingham’s greatest tourist attractions.<\/p>\n

The bull is 10m (32ft) high, 4.5m (15ft) wide and 15m (49ft) long – and weighs 2.5 tonnes<\/p>\n

“I love the people in Birmingham and the way they have reacted to the bull,” said Mike Kelt, from creators Artem<\/p>\n

The outer skin is made of dense foam, meaning it can’t stay outside in wintry weather<\/p>\n

“It was a huge challenge for us, and the beginning of five months of experimentation and hard graft,” said Artem<\/p>\n

Chains representing those used in the slave trade pulled the giant bull into the stadium at the opening ceremony<\/p>\n

The bull was brought to Centenary Square in the early hours after the opening ceremony with a police escort<\/p>\n

A petition to save the bull when its future was initially in doubt attracted almost 10,000 signatures<\/p>\n

Special effects include smoke from the body and nostrils, tears of blood and lighting to show the bull\u2019s emotions<\/p>\n

There have been several gorgeous Birmingham sunsets over the course of the Games<\/p>\n

Some people who saw the bull being created assumed it was intended for the Glastonbury music festival in June<\/p>\n

Bull technician Hannah Joshua said: “The response has absolutely blown us away”<\/p>\n

The legs hang from an aluminium frame that allows walkways for the puppeteers and technicians<\/p>\n

Two puppeteers are needed to operate the head while another technician uses a computer to move the legs<\/p>\n

The legs had to be structurally designed, and Artem made three prototypes before they were happy<\/p>\n

The bull is supported by a telehandler that weighs 17 tonnes<\/p>\n

The special effects firm took five months to construct it with a team of about 60 people<\/p>\n\r\n