Is it real or is it fake?: Harold the Hippo makes Fredericton duck pond home
Walking by the duck pond at Killarney Lake in Fredericton this summer might cause some people to do a double-take.
Floating in the water at the park is a partially submerged life-sized hippopotamus. But Harold the Hippo, as he's been named, is actually made of metal, and water bottles.
Jean Hudson is the artist who created Harold, and she says he's supposed to make people pause for a second.
The art piece is inspired by a public service announcement that was broadcast on Canadian television, beginning in 1999, called the North American House Hippo, which featured tiny hippos living in people's homes. It was produced by Concerned Children's Advertisers and was designed to educate children about not believing everything they saw on TV.
"At night he swam in the dog dish and he ate potato chips and, you know, made his bed out of the lint from the dryer. And the idea was for people … to think about what they were seeing on TV. Was it real or not?" said Hudson.
"So I find today, in 2023, we really have got to consider what we're seeing, if it's real or not with Photoshop and artificial intelligence and fake news."
She wants people to walk by the art installation and think, "Are there even hippos in Canada?"
The project is part of a temporary public art program by the City of Fredericton, which was originally aimed at projects in Phoenix Square, but was expanded this year to take on pitches for projects elsewhere in the city.
WATCH | Jack Hudson waded into the pond with Harold the Hippo on Tuesday morning:
Hudson pitched her idea and with the help of her husband, Jack Hudson, Harold was completed throughout the winter.
Jack welded a frame made from re-purposed barrels, which was then covered in pieces of metal. Then, it was left to rust until it got to the right rust level. Harold the hippo was then covered in a sealant.
Four large water bottles act as Harold's floatation device, and he's anchored to the bottom of the pond.
Hudson said there weren't too many challenges with making a sculpture for the water because of the calm, sheltered nature of the pond. But she was anxious to get him in to see how he would react.
Harold was first tested in the St. John River to make sure everything would run smoothly on Tuesday morning, when he went into the pond.
"Just seeing him there floating, exactly how I had planned, was a real treat," said Hudson.
Hudson said she thinks the floating creature will definitely catch the eye of passersby.
But she said, since hippos are the world's deadliest land mammals, she hopes naming him Harold will soften that aggressive reputation and bring out a smile when people see him.
