Last Sunday, during an impromptu shopping trip to the Trafford Centre, Manchester we came across vibrant art creations on elephant statues dotted all around the mall.
The national Elephant Parade Tour has been sponsored by mall owners 'intu' to raise greater awareness for the plight of Asian elephants.
Top artists, celebrities and schoolchildren have created their own elephants.
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| 'Forest' by Claudia Schiffer |
Alex Jones, presenter of BBC's 'The One Show' designed 'Spirit' with Mercy Delta. This colour combination and mix of patterns with the horse design is so creative and eye-catching.
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| 'Spirit' |
'An Elephant's Tale' by Katie Sollohub was inspired by childhood memories of Tarzan and Boy riding elephants in the jungle, Barbar The Elephant and other stories about these magnificent creatures.
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| 'An Elephant's Tale' |
One of my favourites was 'Sunday Best' by Anna Masters. Her pretty blue and white elephant was inspired by patterns on Chinese ceramics.
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| 'Sunday Best' |
Patrice Moor loves pink tulips and Jane Austen and decided to paint a tulip upside down on Mrs Bennet's head to make it look a bit like a bonnet!
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| 'Mrs Bennet' |
I was fascinated by the wide range of styles from the pretty to the fun and quirky .......
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| 'Pop Art' by Nattapol Buaum 'Ice Creamy' by Karina Choudrie |
Of course as this is a UK tour, there were designs related to this part of the world including 'Pilgrim' with its West Country sea-faring connections. There's a continuous harbour scene which Martin Procter, the artist, hopes will remind people of this lovely area of England.
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| 'Pilgrim' |
'Wild London' by Patricia Shrigley is all about the enjoyment of local wildlife. She believes that the Elephant Parade is a celebration of our relationship with wildlife and it also shows that we care.
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| 'Wild London' |
Richard Powell was asked to create a very British icon. Apparently The Red Arrows Royal Air Force Aerobatics Display Team was suggested by an eight year old girl and as a result he created the vibrant red elephant to reflect the colours and design of the aeroplanes.
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| Red Arrow |
This UK Tour follows eleven successful parades in cities around the world including Amsterdam, Singapore and Milan. Millions have been raised for Asian elephant conservation projects through the auction or sale of the elephants.
I hope you enjoyed my selection ..... my favourites ...... and finally, here is Lily Pepper, covered in oriental lilies and defintely one of the prettiest!
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| 'Lily Pepper' |
We were so lucky to see the elephants as this was their last day in Manchester and they have now made their way to Gateshead in the north-east. For details of dates and future venues click here. (This tour ends in London in July 2014.)
Meet some of the artists and have a peep behind the
scenes in this short video .......
I like that blue and white one as well. I haven't seen them do this in London this year though - pity as it livens up the streets. I wouldn't mind one in front of my house though!
ReplyDeleteThe tour will apparently be in Central London from the 28th July 2014.
DeleteMy favourite is Sunday Best, too! Would love to seem them in London on their last stop. That's another year of waiting.
DeleteHave a lovely weekend :)
This is so nice! The idea reminds mе a little bit of the one with the bears. I really like Mrs Bennet and Lily Pepper! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteSun and Sany
Oh I love it! It reminds me of the Egg Hunt around London when I was visiting in March last year - I loved finding a new egg somewhere and reading about who had created it. They were so beautiful and varied. Love the elephants you've featured. I think my favourite is The Red Arrow. Fun! xx
ReplyDeleteYes they reminded me of the Egg Hunt too. I featured some of them in a post after we saw them in Manchester in March this year.
DeleteSuch an interesting story, these elephants are so adorable... Great idea! :)
ReplyDeleteMorning Miss B! I never heard about the Elephant Parade Tour, it sounds amazing and all the elephants are outstanding, what an amazing job must have been behind each of them, really creative! My fav is the Elephant Tale, I saw there is also Babar, when I was a child I used to watch the cartoons:) Have a lovely weekend, kisses! xo
ReplyDeleteThese elephants are adorable and so great that it is for a good cause. Have a great weekend!
ReplyDeleteI remember seeing these all over London a few years back on a day trip there. Beyond cute! x
ReplyDeleteHiya Miss b, what a nice welcomng post! Firstly, thanks for your comments, I've been busy and away as well, so no worries. This is such a great post because I LOVE elephants, and have art, jewellery, etc. I love art installations like this: Sunday's Best and Spirit are my favourites. I chuckled at the Mrs. Bennet style. Enjoy your week dear. xx/Madison
ReplyDeleteHow beautiful - i have seen something similar in Colombia but instead of elephants, it was cows!
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful cause! I love the ice creamy and plight one. I knew there was a problem with Elephant hunting in Africa, but was unaware of it in Asia. So glad people are being educated about this. Thanks for this post Miss B.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.averysweetblog.com/
What a fun exhibit! I think "Wild London" might be my favorite of the bunch.
ReplyDeleteI would have loved to have seen this, love the Pop Art one along with Mrs Bennet and Wild London! :) xx
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I love these pics! Everyone looks different! Greetings from Zurich!
ReplyDeleteHow amazing is that artwork, and for such a good cause too....I wonder what they will do with them afterwards? I would love the black and white one.......just not sure how it would fit in my house!! xx
ReplyDeleteWonderful! I love how different they are. I have seen different versions of this...cows, flamingoes....all in different cities.
ReplyDeleteAwww I love these adorable painted elephants, Ive seen the bear and cow parades before, each one has its own charm. Loving the Spirit, Wild London and Ice Creamy ones. Thanks for your kind words. Have a great weekend!
ReplyDeleteOh, what a fantastic day this must have been! I like ALL the elephants, but I have to say that there was one that stood out among the others for me - THE BLUE AND WHITE ONE, SUNDAY BEST! It is so pretty. Thanks for sharing photos of the elephants. I love this beautiful animal.
ReplyDeleteLove,
~Sheri
What a wonderful project - and what amazing art has come from it! As I scrolled down through this post, I kept thinking to myself, This elephant is certainly my favourite. And then I would scroll to the next and find that I loved it even more! It's obvious that in addition to be talented, all of the artists are passionate about the cause - it shines right through their work!
ReplyDeletexox,
Cee
such a great cause in a creative way
ReplyDeleteWe have the same project currently on display in Luxembourg!
ReplyDeleteI think I remember seeing Luxembourg on the list of venues.
DeleteOh my friend these are brilliant! Here in Canada (Toronto) we had moose all over the city painted and dressed in all sorts - throughout the city a few years back. It was brilliant to see. These elephants are so well done. Thanks for sharing your fabulous photos!! Wishing you a beautiful week-end. Hugs, C.
ReplyDeleteOh my cuteness!! I'd love to have one in my home!!!
ReplyDeleteLove
Coco et La vie en rose
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I like the blue and white too. But everything were designed so well. They were designed so creatively.
ReplyDeleteOh I love this chic little 'trunk' show! Fun post Miss B!
ReplyDeletexx, Heather
I love those pop elephants. They remind me of the pop cows that wer exposed in numerous spots of Paris a couple of years ago. So cute!!!!
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Greetings from Rome
Laura
I would have liked to see the cows in Paris too.
DeleteI'm so pleased to see that you are my new follower. Thank you very much.
oh wow, I would be totally taken aback I was just popping to our local shopping centre and saw these standing outside Topshop and Selfridges. They look beautiful. The annoying thing is that some people have houses big enough to house these things in their hallway, I'd love to be able to! My favourite is the black and white one!
ReplyDeleteWe have an Elephant Parade here in Dana Point, CA (south Orange County on the coast) I've been driving by for a week. I'll stop tomorrow, wondering if it is for the same cause?
ReplyDeleteIf I could be a winning bidder I would choose "An Elephant's Tale" or "Pilgrim". Thank you for bringing this to our attention. Cheers!
Yes I'm sure it is for the same cause. I read that there was to be an Elephant Parade in California. I imagine there will be some interesting designs with a coastal theme too.
Deleteso cute! elephants is my favorite! my totem!
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Some of them look so cutte... like the Spirit, Wild London or the Lily Pepper!
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these are so pretty! very cool to see the same piece interpreted in different ways! my favorite is sunday best
ReplyDeletexx Corinne
cateyesandthighhighs.blogspot.com
Have a great week ahead Miss B! Kisses! xo
ReplyDeletelovely!
ReplyDeleteOh, this is cool! I haven't been to the Trafford centre in years!
ReplyDeleteCorinne x
www.skinnedcartree.com
They are so wonderful! I am going to check the link to see if they are coming over here. Thank you for the news and photos! x
ReplyDeleteThose elephants look so fabulous.
ReplyDeleteI love elephants
I have a little collection of elephant items.
They are said to be lucky when the trunk is raised.
oh, magical! Those elephants just grabbed my attention, such a wonderful exibition! I'd love to visit it with a great pleasure) One of my favourites is same as yours:) That elephant "Sunday Best" by Anna Masters is gorgeous! Though, I must say this pattern is very alike with russian traditional patern called "Gzhel" :)))
ReplyDeleteWish you a blessed day ahead!
www.svetusvet.com
Beautiful designs! Good to know it is for a good cause :) xx
ReplyDelete// Inês Paúl //
What a fabulous idea for a great cause! Have a good week:)
ReplyDelete~Anne
Thankyou for your visit,dear friend!:)*
ReplyDeleteSo beautiful they are...........just creativity knows no bounds!!! Fantatsic!
Wishing you wonderful week,
***Violetta***
sunday best is just the best
ReplyDeleteThese are gorgeous! I love 'sunday best' and 'wild london'. so pretty.
ReplyDeleteSuch gorgeous porcelain elephants.
ReplyDeletewww.thoughtsofpaps.com
these are fabulous but I also love that mall too! what a gorgeous place to shop!
ReplyDeletewww.nycstylelittlecannoli.com
Wow! I really would have liked to have seen this in person! Fabulous post
ReplyDeleteVery beautiful elephants ;)
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Thank you for following.
Deletei really love elephants! such strong, quiet yet caring and sensitive animals. i like the pink one with the zoo animals on it :) this is such a neat display!
ReplyDeleteTHese are all pure genius! (absolutely loving the very first elephant! )
ReplyDeleteHayfa
http://londonloafers.blogspot.com
Beautiful designs, I adore elephants. My favorite is the red and leopard print one, I would love if they created shelf sized versions of these that you could buy. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteLittlePinkRainBoots.blogspot.com
They were selling small versions but the shop was closed by the time we spotted it. There is an online shop -elephantparadewebshop.com
DeleteI have to say Sunday best is my favorite elephant too, so beautiful.
ReplyDeleteMeg | meghansilva.blogspot.com
Oh I love these elephants! xo Caroline
ReplyDeleteLily Pepper looks adorable! Copenhagen hosted an open air Elephant Parade exhibit in 2011 and I was lucky enough to be in the city at that time. My favorite elephant from that exhibit had drawings of doughnuts, ice cream and candies on it... so cute!
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I'm sure the elephant with the doughnuts and ice cream on it looked really cute!
DeleteThese elephants are so adorable. I have always loved elephants.
ReplyDeleteTracy @ Sunny Days and Starry Nights
Sunday Best is my favorite too! I have a small replica of an international elephant tour like this one sitting in my livingroom. He is painted like a ladybird :)
ReplyDeleteSo many comments! Thank you very much. I enjoyed finding out which elephants you all preferred and 'Sunday Best' was certainly a favourite. I was also interested to read that some of you have seen an Elephant Parade or similar exhibitions with other animals in your part of the world.
ReplyDeleteElephants' parade!!! So cute! love them all!
ReplyDeleteXOXO from Shanghai!
Awee these are so cute. Loved this post!
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Ah these elephants are awesome. Elephants were my favorite animal as a child.
ReplyDeleteAli of Dressing Ken
I am so late on my blog reading. Really enjoyed this. What beautiful creations. I think I love the blue and white like you, but the floral ones are also pretty. What a terrific cause! Thanks for sharing this!
ReplyDeletexxKim