Champion Cow at the Cow Parade (© IAAF)
CowParade, a zany collection of lifesize fibreglass cows, which are strikingly decorated and painted by local artists, is now the world’s largest public art event.
Since it started in Zurich in 1998, going on to Chicago and New York in 1999, the CowParade’s popularity has soared and it has visited some of the most famous cities in the world, including Tokyo, London, Prague, Sydney and Cape Town.
But the CowParade is not just about popular art, but also about raising funds for charity. So when it was clear that the CowParade was coming to Monaco, the home of the IAAF, we couldn’t remain indifferent.
We had no hesitation in signing up as a patron of the “Monacow Parade” linking the sport of athletics, as well as the IAAF World Athletics Final which takes place on 9-10 September, with the beauty, brilliance, cleverness and charm of these uniquely painted cows.
A dynamic cow for young and old
We wanted to delight residents and visitors, men and women, young and old people, with a very special cow. A dynamic, happy, modern “CHAMPION COW” who would permanently communicate the values of our sport and also help the Association Monégasque contre les Myopathies (Monegasque Association Against Muscular Dystrophy).
The IAAF put out a tender to local artists and finally settled for Serge Baratta, 46 a contemporary artist from Nice, France (www.ters-art.com) Having submitted our list of ideas and respected all the rules stipulated by the organizers, he came up with a prototype.
Turning a ruminant into an athlete
Unlike most of the other parade cows, who are either standing or lying down, we decided to transform Champion Cow into an active athlete. Why not a hurdler? Serge needed all his creativity not only to create a hurdle barrier, but also to make “CC” look right when she hurdled and to make sure the whole assembly would be rigid and safe.
In the end, he came up with a concept, and planned some vital surgery to get CC’s body and legs balanced just right and positioned perfectly on the hurdle barrier. As for any operation, this was a very critical moment: if the surgery worked, the rest would be simple. And it worked: CC took flight!
Once fixed firmly to her hurdle, it was time to polish CC and start working on the paint, decoration and accessories. Arrangements were made with various suppliers to provide us with specific stickers and logos as well as colour schemes we believed were appropriate for a Champion Cow.
Like any other competing athlete, CC needed a bib number which would be reproduced on her back legs. We also wanted to decorate the hurdle, and to add a touch of humour with some specially designed sun glasses.
On track with Mondo, of course!
Now it was time to add some other significant accessories: medals (gold, silver and bronze) around CC’s neck and a piece of actual track to decorate the base. For the latter, we called upon the IAAF’s official supplier, MONDO and they were happy to help.
We also printed some 2005 World Athletics Final logos in both English and French on perspex and these were hooked on top of the track.
Once the hurdle bar was built, and CC firmly anchored to it; she was decorated with stickers of the World Athletics Final and IAAF website headers.
Last but not least, we rolled out the “red carpet” Mondo style, and introduced our new bovine star to the world at a special ceremony in Monaco, right next to the Stade Louis II, on July 7.
For those of you wishing to see her in person, she will be placed in the Monte Carlo Casino Gardens just a minute’s walk from the IAAF Headquarters, in full view of all the many tourists who visit the Principality during the summer months.
Champion Cow will remain in the Casino Square from 8 July until the beginning of September, when we plan to move her right outside the Stade Louis II where the IAAF World Athletics Final takes place on 9-10 September, so if you haven’t had the opportunity before to see Champion Cow, she will be waiting to welcome you to the World Athletics Final.
Champion Cow stats:
Dimensions: 220cmx60cmx140cm (length, width and height).
Weight: 50 kilos
Features: White fiberglass coated with polyester.
No previous competition history, but born to win!
Artist: Serge Baratta: www.ters-art.com