Elephant Parade London 2010

6 May 2010:

The Elephant Parade London 2010 – “a social enterprise” which, according to the website, aims “to raise support for the Asian elephant, which is threatened with extinction” (via) – seems to have taken off in fine style with a lot of media coverage about the more than “250 brightly painted life-size elephants located over central London this summer”.

Elephant Family is the registered charity behind Elephant Parade, which aims to help reduce the impact of habitat loss on endangered elephants throughout Asia. Apparently, “in the past 100 years the Asian elephant population has declined by 90%” (via)

Since our launch in 2002, we’ve been busy. We’ve invested £3 million in securing and restoring vital corridors of land. We’ve supported local communities to reduce incidents of human-elephant conflict and improve the welfare of captive elephants. And we’ve worked hard to highlight the plight of the Asian elephant back home too, with UK-wide education programmes and publicity. (via)

Wandering past the Royal Festival Hall yesterday evening, I came across these four and, thinking about the scale of the project, it’s hard not to be impressed and enthused in equal parts. (Click to embiggen)

Shaant Haathi
(Artist: Arabella Sim; Location: Queens Walk, Royal Festival Hall)

Brambles
(Artist: Diana Ralston; Location: Queens Walk, Royal Festival Hall)

Julia’s elephant
(Artist: Joseph Paxton; Location: Market Square, Royal Festival Hall)

Deliverance
(Artist: Loz Atkinson; Location: Queens Walk, Royal Festival Hall)

I don’t think there can be any doubt about the admirable aim of the campaign, but I do wonder if it’s enough on its own. Although it may help to stabilise the elephant population, there remains the question of what happens in the longer term: can anything be done to increase the numbers? Given that the main threat to these animals seems to be from the impact of humankind – habitat loss is said to be the most significant (although not the only) risk they face – and given that human population seems to be increasing almost exponentially, it’s difficult to see how the Asian elephant can avoid extinction.

8 May 2010:

Moar elephants: I saw 11 more elephants today :)

Manasuna
(Artists: Johnny Rocket & Sunny Warrington; Location: Burlington Arcade)

The Singing Butler Rides Again
(Artist: Jack Vettriano; Location: Burlington Arcade)

Grey Elephant
(Artist: Corneille; Location: New Bond Street)

Topographant eavesdropping on Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill

Topographant
(Artist: Solange Azagury-Partridge; Location: New Bond Street)

Sadhana
(Artist: Tord Boontje; Location: New Bond Street)

Elephish
(Artist: Mariana Bassani; Location: Foubert’s Place)

R
(Artist: Gavin Tuck; Location: New Burlington Place)

Vanda
(Artist: Rosie Sanders; Location: Swallow Street)

Tree of Love
(Artist: Anchalee Intorn; Location: National Geographic, Regent Street)

Cupcake
(Artist: Dick Roberts; Location: Regent Place)

Oak, Chestnut, Plane and Elm
(Artist: Sam Hacking; Location: Regent Place)

15 May 2010: Wandering around town yesterday, and without a huge amount of effort, I came across lots of elephants. Below, I’ve added the pictures I took.

This is Cloudia, the Elephant Parade’s peripatetic ele, basking in the morning sun in Carnaby Street:

Cloudia

Kissed By Lulu Guinness
(Artist: Lulu Guinness; Location: Broadwick Street)

Mr Stripe
(Artist: Ittikan Chaingam; Location: Foubert’s Place/Newburgh Street)

Candy
(Artist: Isaac Mizrahi; Location: Carnaby Street/Marlborough Street)

Frank
(Artist: Leinz; Location: Market Place)

Kadja
(Artist: Wilairat Tano; Location: Market Place)

The Illustrated Elephant and Oscar

The Illustrated Elephant
(Artist: Soju Tanaka; Location: Hanover Square)

Oscar
(Artist: Vanity Fair; Location: Hanover Square)

Impossiphant
(Artist: Peter Smith; Location: South Molton Street)

Oli
(Artist: Issa; Location: South Molton Street)

Young At Art and Dead End

Young At Art
(Artist: John D Wilson; Location: South Molton Street)

Dead End
(Artist: Kriti Arora; Location: South Molton Street)

Bertie
(Artist: Julien MacDonald; Location: Foubert’s Place/Kingly Street)

Cloudia
(Artist: Alan O’Connor; Location: Carnaby Street)

Monopoly Community Chest
(Artist: Hasbro & Invited Artists; Location: Hamleys Toy Store)

Zambi
(Artist: Donna Goes, Hasbro Inc; Location: Hamleys Toy Store)

Kubella, The Seaside Elephant
(Artist: Natalie Guy; Location: St Christopher’s Place)

Elephant Chic
(Artist: Benjamin Shine; Location: St Christopher’s Place)

The Emerald Queen
(Artist: Sabine Roemer; Location: Selfridges)

Ziggy
(Artist: Matthew Williamson; Location: Selfridges)

The Spirit of India
(Artist: Sacha Jafri; Location: Selfridges)

Spooning Sunday
(Artist: Claire Snell & Tory Bauer; Location: Selfridges)

Heaven’s Haathi
(Artist: Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla; Location: Selfridges)

Gajaraj
(Artist: HH Maharaja Ranjitsinh Gaekwad of Baroda; Location: Old Quebec Street)

HappyPhant
(Artist: Stuart Semple; Location: Marble Arch)

Mrs Stripe
(Artist: Nongkain Pommigmas; Location: Marble Arch)

Josephine and Kingdom

Kingdom
(Artist: Rebecca Campbell; Location: Sloane Square)

Josephine
(Artist: Patrice Moor; Location: Sloane Square)

22 May 2010: On my way over to a hairdresser’s appointment this morning, I saw these two in Paddington:

Greetings From The Jungle
(Artist: Gemma Cumming; Location: off Praed Street, Paddington)

The Happy End Of Nature
(Artist: Deniz Balabaner; Location: Paddington Station)

3 June 2010: En route to the “Reclaiming The F-Word” book launch:

Eleafant
(Artist: Julia Trickey; Location: Curzon Street)

Nana
(Artist: Alexander Millar; Location: Curzon Street)

12 June 2010: Elephant talk

I had a routine electrolysis session scheduled for this morning; I made the effort to leave the flat earlier than I might otherwise have done and made a detour via Green Park where, according to the Elephant Parade website, there was a ‘Happy Herd’. I wasn’t disappointed, the herd turned out to be, well, I found three distinct groups, and I think there were others elsewhere in the park. Sadly, I didn’t have time to find them all, but I still spotted over twenty ellies!

I’m glad to have seen them; from the discussions on the Facebook page, I gather that the round-up begins next week in advance of the pre-auction display of all 258 ellies at the Chelsea Royal Hospital at the end of the month.

I’m really going to miss seeing the various ellies dotted randomly around town – but I’m really looking forward to seeing the whole herd in one place!

Nanook
(Artist: Martin Aveling; Location: Green Park)

Harapan
(Artist: Rebecca Sutherland; Location: Green Park)

The Vanishing Lotus
(Artist: Bruno Cepolina; Location: Green Park)

Hope Of Freedom
(Sculptor: Suzie Marsh; Casting: Carter Technical; Location: Green Park)

I Miss The Forest
(Artist: Wongpeera Winyarat; Location: Green Park)

Russell
(Artist: Graeme le Saux; Location: Green Park)

Harmony
(Artist: Rebecca Campbell; Location: Green Park)

Polyphant
(Artist: Daniel Chadwick; Location: Green Park)

Tattoo – Born To Be Wild
(Artist: Gary Hodges; Location: Green Park)

Eko
(Artist: Paul Kidby; Location: Green Park)

Will Only Words Remain?
(Artist: Jon Hicks; Location: Green Park)

Never Forget
(Artist: Tom Halifax; Location: Green Park)

Tara
(Artist: Mark Shand; Location: Green Park)

Simply Silver
(Artist: Thammakit Thamboon; Location: Green Park)

In Your Trunk (Turn The Bass Up…)
(Artist: Ashwan; Location: Green Park)

Gaj Mani
(Artist: Yodsaran Chaidungkaew; Location: Green Park)

Fish & Chips
(Artist: Thammakit Thamboon; Location: Green Park)

Mr William
(Artist: Sheara Abrahams; Location: Green Park)

Pik Bingko
(Artists: Charlotte Kingsnorth & Fred Rigby; Location: Green Park)

BaarsFant No2
(Artist: Menno Baars; Location: Green Park)

Big Heart Open Mind
(Artist: Julia Rogers; Location: Green Park)

Dazzlephant
(Artist: Pochoir; Location: Green Park)

14 June 2010: The elephants went in two by two, hurrah! hurrah!

On my way to the introductory meeting for The Downing Street Project, walking through Devonshire Square, I saw these two:

Map Elephant
(Artist: Anna Simmons; Location: Devonshire Square)

ELEPHANTASTIC
(Artist: Lily Marneffe; Location: Devonshire Square)

And that, if I’ve counted correctly, makes a total of 70 Elephant Parade ellies “in the wild” that I’ve been able to spot, on my various travels around town during the last month or so!

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Links to external sites:

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Related pages on this blog:

Elephant Parade London 2010 videos page
Elephant Parade London 2010 visitors day page (26 June 2010)

bird of paradox