The Elephants of Old London Town

Elephant Parade

First time visitors to London may feel it is inhabited by herds of elephants as they get crushed at rush hour on the Tube or trampled underfoot trying to go shopping in Oxford Street. However they can now rub their eyes in disbelief as a colourful herd of 260 life-sized model baby elephants has appeared across London to raise money for charity. Artists including Sacha Jafri and Sam Hacking have decorated each of the 1.5m (4.9ft)-high fibreglass models, which are being displayed in public places from May. Then on 30 June, the charity Elephant Family will auction the models, and hope to raise about £2m to protect India's elephants. The animals will be placed at landmarks including Buckingham Palace.

They will also appear in areas such as Trafalgar Square, Parliament Square and on the South Bank. Jewellery designer Sabine Roemer dressed her elephant with a 700-carat emerald on its forehead. She said it was "amazing" to see her completed work in Trafalgar Square. "We started talking about it a year ago," she said. "I wanted to have a very traditional Indian-looking elephant and to make a jewellery piece."

Artist Sacha Jafri stood next to his gold elephant emblazoned with hearts. "I had the birth of my little baby during all of this so it has these heart motifs," he said. The artworks include three anonymously-decorated 'election elephants' with boxing gloves, representing the Liberal Democrats, Labour and the Conservatives. Elephant parades have already been held in Antwerp and Rotterdam, and after London the elephants will move to New York and Milan. The parade follows the format of Cow Parade, which began in Zurich in 1998 to increase tourism and raise money for charity.










Trafalgar Square

An Elephant Family spokeswoman said: "The elephants will appear overnight to cheer London up and raise some vital funds." Here is their site and explanation of Elephant Parade;


Chinatown

“Elephant Parade is a conservation campaign that shines a multi-coloured spotlight on the urgent crisis faced by the endangered Asian elephant. Brought to you by www.elephantfamily.org , the event sees over 250 brightly painted life-size elephants located over central London this summer.

Each decorated by a different artist or celebrity, the elephants brighten and beautify the city, enhancing every park, street corner and building they grace. Running from May to July 2010, this is London’s biggest outdoor art event on record. With an estimated audience of 25 million, we aim to raise £2 million for the Asian elephant and benefit 20 UK conservation charities.

All of our elephants are for sale by auction and every bid you place is a bid for habitat. Mini elephants are available at Selfridges, 80 Regent St, 36 Carnaby St and Greenwich Central Market or at the elephant parade online shop. Happy elephant spotting!”








Leicester Square

So on this Friday evening these 260 Elephants provoke a great smile from passers by as I stroll through Whitehall to Trafalgar Square, Leicester Square, Hanover Square and up to Selfridges. There in the Basement there is the Elephant Parade shop selling miniature versions of the Elephants I had just seen. There they have a full sized Elephant called “Heaven’s Haathi” (Haathi is the Hindi / Punjabi word for Elephant) and a full range of miniature elephants including my personal favourite “Bobby Elephant.”


Only 3175 miles to Accra, Ghana

London has always been a city of many cultures and many faiths, with a population from all over the world. Throughout history it has been an important centre for the settlement of immigrants and refugees. Today, over 200 languages are spoken in London. As I wandered through the centre by the wonderful iconic Trafalgar Square with its pedestrianised north side and into Leicester Square and Chinatown the diversity which makes this city so special and such an iconic World City was obvious. In the park in Leicester Square the capitals of the Commonwealth are commemorated in plaques and over all of it beams the statue of England’s greatest playwright, William Shakespeare, whose statue boasts the apt epigram; “There is no darkness but ignorance.”


Great Titchfield Street


Hanover Square

London is a special place and a great World City not because of its place in history or its great monuments, architecture, museum’s and art galleries but because of the special qualities and dynamic it gets from the ethnic diversity of its people living in a free and tolerant society. My regular Blogistas will have denoted a tincture of unhappiness on my part about the recent elections but what is impressive is the way the well oiled wheels of the British State move and how power and authority are transferred; No meetings of “Strong Men” in back rooms take place, no militias on the streets, no protests rather the Civil Service prepare tea and briefing notes for the new ministers. This tolerant and well ordered inclusive society is treasured no more than in this dynamic city whose inhabitants appreciate its interest and variety.
A bit like that remarkable and hugely social animal the Elephant who has been so ill served in the last century by the attentions of mankind. Hopefully the proceeds of Elephant Parade will do something to redress that balance whilst adding greatly to the gaiety of the urban streetscape.




“Heaven’s Haathi”

“No, Sir, when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford." Since Dr Samuel Johnson uttered these words to James Boswell in 1777 opinions have differed on whether being tired of London is just that for obviously there is plenty of life elsewhere but there is no doubt that this is still an iconic World City attracting hordes of visitors and herds of Elephants in the run up to hosting the Olympic Games in 2012.




Bobby Elephant

For a (busy) day seeing this diverse city whilst avoiding the usual tourist traps see;

http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2007/09/day-in-london.html



“There is no darkness but ignorance.”