Igbo Inspiration

I have been searching for an idea for a sculpture for a potential project in 2010 on the theme of biodiversity so I went to the British Museum, one of the world's most inspiring places. I want to reflect the idea of the interdependence of humans and the natural world. In many cultural traditions gods and humans become animals and vice versa. Sex was on themind of Zeus, the Greek super god when doing that sort of change - into an eagle or a bull or whatever - rather than biodiversity but there is in classical mythology the idea of the closeness of humans to nature, something often lost in the modern urbanised world. I thought maybe a totem pole with different creatures and humans joined in one might work. However, a totem pole does present logistical problems. In the African Galleries is this Igbo sculpture in which there is a melange of humans and animals. It stands on four legs which solves the stability problem. A starting point for my piece.