Scoping for Belfast Zoo

CLIENT - Belfast Zoo
Recognising the power of street art to transform drab and underutilised spaces, The Belfast Zoo has recently commissioned 5 new exciting murals to celebrate the zoo and its animals.

Daisy Chain Inc. have loved the involvement with Belfast Zoo so far. We have enjoyed the interactions with both animals and staff. We have felt some of the childish excitement we remember from our visits to the zoo as our younger selves. We are excited by the possibility of helping rejuvenate the space.

It has also made us think.

We are always interested in places, and what they mean. We are excited about the Zoo as a place: what it means for Belfast, and how people might better experience, encounter and remember Belfast Zoo.

We examined the role of street art and how we can enhance the zoo’s offering with a new street art trail.

The main objectives of the project were to add a sense of playfulness for visitors of all ages, increase visitor numbers, and increase revenue through attendance and merchandise sales.

The outcome of this project was a report whereby we discussed our process of drafting an artist brief and the role that plays in the design process. We recommended some staff engagement sessions to create a dynamic brief and learn about the untold stories of the zoo. We also made suggestions for redesigning areas with underutilised potential, as well as recommendations for increasing seating areas and landscape changes to highlight the proposed art trail.