Magnificent Praying Mantis Sculpture
David Shrigley

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's a giant praying mantis!
When we were approached by internationally known Artist David Shrigley to make a giant praying mantis sculpture. We absolutely couldn't resist! After all, who doesn't love giant insects?!
Gimme the stats
- Sculpture height x 3 metres (a towering achievement!)
- Skilled hands at work x 12
- Dedicated Plunge hours x 800
- Proud collaboration x 1 (with the brilliant Artist David Shrigley!)
- Smiles and conversations sparked by the finished piece x infinite!
Mantis-ificent collaboration
We were super hyped when David Shrigley invited us to work with him on this project and couldn't resist this amazing opportunity!
At an impressive 3 meters in height, this giant mantis muse definitely means business!
Not too cool for school!
Shrigley generously loaned the sculpture to his former college, Beauchamp College in Leicestershire. His goal in doing so was to highlight the crucial role that art plays in education.
The giant praying mantis, which Shrigley has titled The Mantis Muse (or Maxine, as she is affectionately known), became a source of inspiration for various lessons, including Life Drawing classes, sparking creativity and engagement among students.
As Shrigley himself has expressed: "I believe art is a fundamental part of how children learn," a sentiment that resonates deeply with us as well. We are grateful to have been part of such a meaningful collaboration.
1...2...3... Mantis!
We put our creative brains together, working alongside Shrigley to create the giant mantis, regularly catching up and feeding back on the different elements.
David Shrigley and our team started the process by building a maquette of the Mantis sculpture out of clay, to determine the stance, position and proportions.
Maxine's main structure is made from steel, which was then hard-coated in fibreglass and painted and shaded in vibrant green. The head also features a super smart mechanical system to make its head rotate and bring the piece to life. David Shrigley and his team were really pleased with the final piece and the press coverage it got was fantastic.
Design & Fabrication Team
David Shrigley, Michael, Hannah, Jeff, Tina, Dominic, Richard, Harrison, Rowan, Sofia, Matt, Louis
Main Suppliers
Flints, Autopaints, TriFibre, RS Components, IMS, Nationwide Logistics
More magic this way
There’s plenty more eye-popping, jaw-dropping, mind-blowing, supersized, spectacular creations here: