of flowering plants, birds (thedinosaurs’ true descendants) taking tothe air alongside the pterosaurs, andthe allegedly greatest predator of themall, Tyrannosaurus rex.It’s not just a question of importingand displaying these beasts though,Chris explains. ‘Erth’s puppets areusually used in the Erth DinosaurPetting Zoo stage show, and theNatural History Museum’s dinosaursare normally part of a self-containedshow. To work at Eden, these elementsneeded to be woven into a newnarrative that extends the premiseof Dinosaurs Unleashed and workswithin the physical parameters ofthe Eden site.’ Chris and the teamworked with Erth and the NaturalHistory Museum to create an entirelynew experience; this <strong>summer</strong> thedinosaurs aren’t just on the loose,they’ve taken over and we will need tolearn to coexist with the creatures thathave taken our place at the top of theevolutionary tree.And they are everywhere – in thecentre of the pit you’ll find ancientsea life, a life-size T. rex, and a nestof Dromaeosaurus babies, and theremains of a stegosaurus amongstother wonders. Visitors will be givena series of clues as they explore Eden,which hint at the best times – andplaces – to encounter the free-rangedinosaurs. Planning these encounterstakes a lot of thought.‘There’s not actually much flatspace,’ says Kate Francis. ‘Aside fromthe arena there are only a few otherplaces where it’s possible to manoeuvrea dinosaur in and out. Especially ifthere’s a couple of thousand peoplein the same space.’ There’s also theCornish <strong>summer</strong> weather to contendwith, which has been known tofeature the odd raindrop or two fromtime-to-time. ‘Erth’s dinosaurs weredesigned for dry Australian climates,they’re not exactly waterproof,’ saysKate. ‘So we have different strategiesdepending on what the weather isdoing, including making more use ofthe Biomes.’Although it lends itself brilliantlyto the dinosaur theme, the RainforestBiome is a particular challenge. ‘It’shot in there. Even hotter if you’re ina dinosaur suit,’ says puppeteer HalSilvester. ‘You need to be able to get inand out quite quickly.’ That’s when theT. rex’s tail becomes especially useful.‘All you have to do is start to turnaround and people move out of yourway.’At least operating the apexpredators should be a lot easier thisyear thanks to Erth’s state-of the-artsuits. The T. rex suit Hal wore lastyear was harder to operate. ‘It waslike being in a submersible,’ he says.‘The suit used fisheye lens cameras
to see out, you had an earpiece forinstructions and someone elseoperated the jaws.’ And it was heavy, 65kilos of dinosaur puppet.This year, however, he’s glad theapex predator dinosaur suits weigh amere 28 to 35 kilos each. ‘They’re a joyto use,’ he says. They are engineeredto be more animated and allow thepuppeteers to control the eyes and jawsdirectly; there’s even a microphonethat translates what he says into‘dinosaur’ so he can interact directlywith visitors. And perhaps best of all,he says, ‘The Erth suits have a camerain the nostril for close-up work andpanels in the body and neck that allowyou to line up your ‘prey’ obliquelybefore you move in.’Joining these carnivorous creaturesare the smaller (and friendlier) birdlikeLeaellynasaura, from the tropicalAntarctic rainforests, their largegoogly eyes adapted to spending halfthe year in darkness. Operating themis good fun, says Hal. ‘It’s a chance tointeract with people in a playful way.’There are also the everpopularbaby dinosaurs. Both theLeaellynasaura and the juveniledinosaurs are accompanied by theirkeepers or ‘wranglers’, who are happyto answer any questions about theircharges – you might not get thesame opportunity with the keepersof the apex predators T. rex andAustralovenator, as they will havetheir work cut out for them, especiallyif it’s lunchtime…But first comes the installation.Eden’s Site Wide Live team put onbetween 25 and 27 events every year,but Dinosaur Uproar is the biggest<strong>summer</strong> programme yet, and it has the‘Have you ever been up close to an ostrich? There’san uncertainty about them, a skittishness. You neverknow what they’re going to do. That’s what we aim for.’Hal Silvester, PuppeteerPrevious page:Australovenator in the RainforestBiome - Photo: Steve TannerLeft: Dinosaur build in progressAbove: Practicing puppeteersshortest turnaround. Ben Howard’sEden Session is on 17 July, and oncehe has departed Site Wide Live havejust under a week to turn the clockback 65 million years (give or take).The Saturday will be spent putting upwalls for the displays, on Sunday theNatural History Museum dinosaursarrive and then there’s just five days toget everything right.Then on 24 July, Dinosaur Uproarbegins and Hal and the team ofpuppeteers take centre stage whilethe Site Wide Live team put their feetup for 30 seconds before they startplanning Hallow Eden and Christmas.By this time Hal and the puppeteeringteam will be fully in character andcostume. But how do you learn to playa dinosaur? It’s not as if you can go andwatch them in the wild or a zoo.‘Emus,’ says Hal. ‘And ostriches.Have you ever been up close to anostrich? There’s an uncertaintyabout them, a skittishness. You neverknow what they’re going to do. That’swhat we aim for.’ Having spent a fairamount of time terrorizing shoppingcentres as T. rex and emerging fromlingerie shops with a bra in his jaws,he is relishing a chance to give amore nuanced performance. There’sa chance to develop the characterof the dinosaur, such as giving it afascination for handbags. ‘Erth’sapproach is very similar to Eden’s - it’sabout providing an opportunity tolearn about something amazing.’ Theaim is to simulate interaction withwildlife, not terrify people.’ He grins.‘Though you get a lot of men filmingyou chasing their wives. It shows theage of chivalry really is dead.’Dinosaur Uproar activities are included with yourMembership or admission ticket. To find out more and get20% off advance admission tickets online visit:www.<strong>eden</strong>project.com/dinosaur-uproar11
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