17 October 2016

Elephants

This weekend The Herd of Sheffield is on display at the nearby Meadowhall shopping centre. Fifty eight fibreglass elephants all individually decorated by local artists. They will be auctioned off on Thursday evening. We were hoping to bag one until I read that organisers expect the average price will be £1500 - which is much more than we are prepared to shell out.

Anyway, I drove over to Meadowhall on Friday lunchtime and saw the entire herd of pachyderms. They have delighted this city and their absence from scattered locations has left a void in Sheffielders' lives. This thoughtful and well-executed project has already raised many thousands of pounds for our children's hospital.

Human creativity is mind-blowing. At first there were fifty eight neutral elephants - blank canvases. Then the artists came along and created fifty eight unique designs. Some celebrated nature, others spoke of industry, labour or history. Some had serious points to make, others were simply frivolous. Some were abstract while others were naturalistic. Every one was different.

Farewell to The Herd of Sheffield.

30 comments:

  1. I like them all!
    If you bought one, where would you have put it?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. On the dining room table of course. He would have been a conversation piece.

      Delete
  2. A lot of trunk calls made in Yorkshire by the looks of it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes. We are always bellowing like elephants.

      Delete
  3. I love them. I wish Brisbane would copy this idea.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You could have fibreglass wombats. Phone the mayor - Graham Quirk - and forward the idea. Tel. 07 3403 4400

      Delete
  4. I would love to have seen them YP, so thanks for the glimpses you have given us.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I like these! Especially the green and orange ones. My mother in law has collected elephants for years and years, I wish she could see them!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I bought Shirley a small cuddly one. I will name him after your mother-in-law if you provide her first name. I hope it's not Nelly!

      Delete
    2. It's Edythe...but we call her Edie. :)

      Delete
    3. Edie the Elephant has a nice ring to it. I might post a picture of our Edie one day.

      Delete
  6. They really are a brilliant idea. My favourite is the patchwork one, and I'd love one for the garden. Alas, at that price I'll just have to make a small ceramic one - I have some clay somewhere !
    When you mentioned them in an earlier post YP, I think I commented that it's a pity they didn't make small copies, which people could buy for a few pounds. I think they missed out on a whole market there.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I bought a small cuddly one for "The Wife" but I think your idea was better CG.

      Delete
  7. These are well worth a look. I would think it would take more than a lunch hour to appreciate these elephants.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There swas even a Red elephant called Matisse's last Assistant. See
      http://www.herdofsheffield.com/sculptures/matisses-last-assistant/

      Delete
    2. Wow! Just imagine!

      Delete
  8. Anonymous6:43 pm

    I love this elephants but yes, the prize is far beyond the possible. Have you thought about drawing up a photo collage with the photos you have taken? Btw, thanks for the German sign in one of your recent posts, I liked that finger-pointing ;-) (I've been on holiday and couldn't send comments via my iPhone (for whatever reason)).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I guess you have been holiday to the South Pacific islands Kaki. Did you get to wear a grass skirt and meet your family?

      Delete
  9. We had sheep in Wrexham. Sad to say, one or two of them were kidnapped when they first appeared but luckily, they were rescued!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. When they were displayed around the city, Sheffield's elephants were secured to heavy concrete blocks. Even so one was kidnapped for a while.

      Delete
  10. I am a fan of the idea of letting several people's creativity play with the same base, no matter whether it is elephants, lions, bears, benches (as it was the case some years ago in my hometown) or the beginning of a story that wants to be continued.
    It is fascinating to see what different people can make out of the very same thing or idea, isn't it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I wonder what the Miss Arian elephant would have been like? I am thinking a neat and tidy design with homely plumped up cushions and retro furniture...or The Ripon Cathedral Elephant.

      Delete
    2. And it would be wearing specs!

      Delete
  11. This is a wonderful 'craze' that seems to have touched many parts of the world with different animals.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The Sheffield Herd project has been very well-organised and has been embraced by local people. It will be interesting to see how many thousands have been raised for Sheffield Children's Hospital body scanner appeal.

      Delete
  12. Those are some amazing elephants! If the AVERAGE price is £1500, maybe some will be cheaper. I don't know what your budget is, but you might try for one anyway! It would definitely make a distinctive garden ornament. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for your encouragement Steve. I was thinking £300 to £400. Maybe I will go to the auction. It costs £25 for a ticket.

      Delete
  13. Anonymous1:44 pm

    I'm really looking forwards to going. I hope i can get one as i have set a slightly higher maximum for myself even though i cant really afford / justify it, its a one off and i will potentially have this momento for the rest of my life. Worth paying for in my eyes. Not a clue which one to go for. Apparently the Arctic Monkeys one has a £10,000 reserve / Starting price! Ouch

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well. I wish you the best of luck Adam. Go on The Herd of Sheffield website and see all 58 in "The Trail".

      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