Well, I’ll be a monkey’s uncle.

Craig Hilton. Photo: Linda Robertson

Waiheke Island artist Craig Hilton has swung into Dunedin as his alter-ego, Sahelanthropus the ape, to lead the Atheist Pride March tomorrow.

The artistic ape will march Dunedin streets armed with a megaphone, placards and ‘‘free bananas for primates of all beliefs’’.

The march begins at the Dental School in Great King St at 1.30pm and would proceed rain, hail or shine. The public were invited to participate and wield placards and encouraged to wear an ‘‘ancestor costume’’ such as an ape or a worm.

‘‘It’s a celebration of ancestors,’’ Dr Hilton said.

Street artist Toothfish had made ancestral masks for marchers to wear.

The Dean of St Paul’s Cathedral, the Very Rev Dr Trevor James, plans to welcome the ''ape'' when the march ends on the cathedral steps.

‘‘He understands it’s not an anti-religious thing,’’ Dr Hilton said.

On the steps, Sahelanthropus would give a six-minute sermon about the genealogy of humans.

The performance art was funded by Creative New Zealand and aimed to celebrate the proud atheist, someone who was not obnoxious and lived in harmony with those people who believed in a God.

Dr Hilton was born in Christchurch, raised in Dunedin and finished a biochemistry doctorate at the University of Otago.

He ended his career in science to study at Elam School of Fine Arts in Auckland.

He hoped someone would continue the march in Dunedin on the same day next year to make it an annual event.

Dr Hilton planned to travel to another New Zealand city next year to start the march tradition and build on his global aspirations for the art work.

He chose to start the march in Dunedin because of the city’s enthusiasm and it was hosting the conference of the Science Communicators Association of New Zealand.

The three-day conference ends tomorrow.

The march was designed to acknowledge the limitations of science and challenge the communicators to never overstate what science would achieve, such as a cure for cancer, or finding life on Mars.

‘‘Science won’t know everything,’’ Dr Hilton said.



shawn.mcavinue@odt.co.nz