Bristol specialist engineering firm Fineline, which produces huge and often bizarre props for the entertainment industry, has helped hatch the giant owls that will descend on Bath this summer in city’s latest public art trail.
The firm, based at Failand, has worked with musicians as diverse as Radiohead, Kylie Minogue and Take That – creating props for their global tours, – and with the exhibition industry, producing giant phones and animals. 
But its work for the Bath arts trail is the first time it has helped make super-sized owl prototypes.
Minerva’s Owls of Bath 2018 will be brought to the city by the same team behind its popular King Bladud’s Pigs in 2008 – one of the UK’s first major sculpture trails of its kind – and the Lions of Bath two years later.
The 100 individually decorated owl sculptures descend onto perches in and around the streets of Bath for three months from June to celebrate Bath’s Roman heritage and raise funds for local charities.
The project takes its inspiration from the Roman Goddess Minerva, to whom the Roman Baths Temple is dedicated, and whose animal symbol was the owl of wisdom.
Fineline received 3D scans of the owls from the Mechanical Engineering Department at the University of Bath which were produced from the original clay maquette produced by sculptor Alan Dun in his studio near Bath.
The firm’s specialist computer-controlled cutting machines were programmed with the scan and then transformed high-density polyurethane blocks into the prototype Minerva’s owl and owlet.
Once produced, the large 1.1m-tall owl and smaller 75cms owlet – available for schools, community groups and charities to sponsor and decorate – were then sent to a fibreglass factory near Andover to produce the full ‘parliament’ of owls.
Fineline owner Darren Wring said: “Although we receive all sorts of requests to make film props and exhibition objects, it’s the first time we’ve been asked to make giant owls.
“We are delighted with the results and think that people will really enjoy seeing these stunning owl sculptures when they follow the Minerva’s Owls trail around Bath this summer.”
The owls are a far cry from much of Fineline’s work – for the Radiohead tour it produced a 17metre-long video wall made from polycarbonate, with each pixel represented by a recycled plastic bottle.
It also made a 100ft robot for Take That’s Progress tour and a giant skull for Kylie. Other projects included a giant sculpture of John Lennon’s face for the London 2012 Olympics opening ceremony.
The large Minerva Owls will be sponsored by a wide range of South West businesses and organisations.
After three months on public display they will be gathered together in one giant ‘parliament’ of owls and owlets for the ‘Hoot Farewell’ auction preview event in early October.
The beautifully decorated giant Owls will then be auctioned in mid-October, with all event profits donated to four local charities – 70% to the new Royal United Hospital Cancer Centre and 30% to the Roman Baths Archway Project, Bath Young Carers and the UK Little Owl Project, which is based in Bath.
For more information about sponsoring or decorating an owl sculpture, visit www.minervasowls.org
