How to Get Really Close to Tigers

Ever been on safari, and wished you could get up close and personal with animals? Normally that’d be too dangerous, but one German performance artists has found a novel solution for keeping himself self while out in the elements.

He’s protected by a giant ball of steel wire. Not only that, the design of the ball allows him to move at will — propelling himself and the contraption simply by shifting his weight in a walking motion.

It’s part of a 220-mile publicity stunt to raise awareness for those who need psychiatric help. Seems a little random, but according to Arnd Drossel, the artist: “the whole concept is about finding the courage to do something and inspire courage in those who have lost their confidence along with much else.”

Drossel envisioned the idea after suffering a personal low, and realizing how little help there was for people in bouts with depression. So he enlisted the help of psychiatric patients around the area to build his unique traveling device, then set off at a pace of nearly 13 miles a day.

If nothing else, it certainly appears to have the tigers’ attention.

[via Spluch]