Independent UK law firm Burges Salmon is the proud new owner of Giraffa Botanica, one of more than 40 sculptures standing tall in the Giraffe About Town trail in Edinburgh, that took place in Summer 2022.
The firm is delighted to have successfully bid for Giraffa Botanica at an auction to mark the end of Giraffe About Town trail. The auction raised an amazing £246,000 for the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) to support vital wildlife conservation. With this support, the RZSS has pledged to reverse the decline of at least 50 species by 2030, from pine hoverflies and wildcats in the Cairngorms National Park, to chimpanzees in Uganda, giant anteaters in Brazil and many more.
This is in line with Burges Salmon’s environmental efforts as a responsible business. Respect for the environment is integral to our responsible business commitments and a key part of stakeholder expectations, with our people and our clients. We support community farms and wildlife trusts, and our people have the opportunity to participate in conservation and biodiversity projects through our volunteering programme. Among other things, we have partnered with conservation charity Trees for Life, a collaboration that complements the firm’s climate commitments and sees it investing in a rewilding, carbon offsetting project focused on the Scottish Highlands.
Giraffa Botanica was designed by artist Samantha Dolan. Samantha is a Scottish artist and freelance illustrator who creates bright botanical filled patterns, children’s books, prints and paintings. She is inspired by the vibrant natural world. Her design is a botanical filled pattern that interconnects and grows around the giraffe like vines up a tree. Giraffa Botanica will be on display in Burges Salmon’s Edinburgh office at Atria One on Morrison Street.
Edinburgh Zoo, in collaboration with creative producers Wild in Art, presented Giraffe About Town – a large-scale public art event featuring more than 40 sculptures that were displayed in locations across Edinburgh – creating a trail highlighting hidden gems and engaging with communities from Edinburgh Zoo to Leith.
Each sculpture was sponsored by businesses, community groups or educational organisations. They were decorated by artists and communities – all designed to celebrate Edinburgh’s extraordinary heritage and cultural diversity.
Burges Salmon is proud to have sponsored a giraffe sculpture in the trail created by Blair McCafferty. Blair aka ‘The Creature Emporium’ is an artist and illustrator from Dundee. His work is influenced by street art, graffiti character design and old skateboard art. Blair’s giraffe sculpture, titled ‘A Drop of Culture’, focused on the iconic Edinburgh skyline with a celebration of the city.