26 July 2016

Herd

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. 
In It Together
Small Beginnings

11 comments:

  1. Why elephants? Are elephants significant in Sheffield for some reason, or are they just a fun animal choice? I like 'em too!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. A 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.

      Delete
  2. What no Lizzie? I like the George Osborne elephant though I doubt the hospital will get much from him.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It'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.

      Delete
  3. These are great fun YP - so colourful! Are they the ones you took Biscuit to see - what did he think of them?
    Are they selling miniatures models of them all to help raise funds?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 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?

      Delete
  4. This 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.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is surprising that Red Deer didn't have fibreglass red deer instead of polar bears.

      Delete
    2. Winnipeg had this project or as we sometimes call the "Winterpeg" We have a pin with a red deer on it.

      Delete
  5. Glorious! 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.

    I 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. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 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.

      Delete

Mr Pudding welcomes all genuine comments - even those with which he disagrees. However, puerile or abusive comments from anonymous contributors will continue to be given the short shrift they deserve. Any spam comments that get through Google/Blogger defences will also be quickly deleted.

Most Visits