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| Henry the Constructor |
Yesterday I photographed three members of "The Herd of Sheffield" in The Botanical Gardens. The Herd consists of fifty eight fibreglass elephants, all individually decorated by artists. The elephants have been placed in various locations around the city and their ultimate purpose is to raise extra funds for The Sheffield Children's Hospital through sponsorship and other money raising ideas. I think it is a brilliant if slightly crazy project that brings some extra colour and fun into the urban landscape. No doubt I will be snapping more elephants in the weeks ahead.
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| In It Together |
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| Small Beginnings |
Why elephants? Are elephants significant in Sheffield for some reason, or are they just a fun animal choice? I like 'em too!
ReplyDeleteA legendary elephant worked at a Sheffield steelworks around the time of World War I. She was called Lizzie and there is a deliberate connection between her and the Herd of Sheffield project.
DeleteWhat no Lizzie? I like the George Osborne elephant though I doubt the hospital will get much from him.
ReplyDeleteIt's Lizzie's image/memory that led to the elephant choice. You should see The Adrian Elephant. It's covered in creeping yellow slime mould.
DeleteThese are great fun YP - so colourful! Are they the ones you took Biscuit to see - what did he think of them?
ReplyDeleteAre they selling miniatures models of them all to help raise funds?
Biscuit cocked his leg on each one of them. He's that kind of art critic. I don't think they're selling miniatures but that would be a great idea wouldn't it?
DeleteThis seems to be a popular activity. We had the same thing in a city except it was polar bears. they come up with some very interesting designs.
ReplyDeleteIt is surprising that Red Deer didn't have fibreglass red deer instead of polar bears.
DeleteWinnipeg had this project or as we sometimes call the "Winterpeg" We have a pin with a red deer on it.
DeleteGlorious! I love elephants...in the true-life form and ornamental. However, as it's not suitable to have one of the real kind living with me - there is an elephant in the room - because I do have a colourful, ceramic, ornamental one that stands about 2-feet tall. I've had "Adu" since 1979 having been unable to resist him when I saw him in a shop at Peregian Beach shortly after we'd moved to the Sunshine Coast from Brisbane. I made no ado upon purchasing Adu...it was love at first sight.
ReplyDeleteI also have two wonderful, life-like pottery ones crafted by an elderly potter who also lived on the coast at the time. The glaze is dull, dark grey and coarse not dissimilar to an elephant's hide. Stunning craftsmanship. I couldn't resist them either. They're only about 5 to 6 inches tall.
I love the Sheffield Herd and look forward to seeing more of them. :)
We have a fourteen inch tall mahogany elephant called Karl. We discovered him in Goa, India and I carried him home in my hand luggage. The Herd of Sheffield exhibition finishes in October so I will snap a few more but NOT all fifty eight of them - oh no! I don't want to get that idea uinto my head.
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