Historical information
And Zarafa Kept Walking features an image of Zarafa, the first giraffe to be seen in France in the year 1826. She arrived as an exotic gift and political ploy from Muhammad Ali of Egypt to King Charles X. To the delight of many onlookers, she walked from Marseilles to Paris carrying with her perhaps a few feathered friends. She inspired tall hairstyles à la girafe, and prompted Honoré de Balzac to write a story about her. Gracia Haby and Louise Jennison have collaborated as ‘Gracia and Louise’ since 2002, exploring their mutual fascination with the adaptable possibilities of paper and creating works from found images to produce artists' books, prints, zines, drawings, and collages.
