03/05/2010

In search of Elephants

So the day is finally here, The elephants are all over London! There are elephants at Heathrow, Brixton and St Pancreas but in the most part they are in Central London.

They are in plazas and on streets, some are hiding inside buildings and undercover, some are happily herding in the parks and green spaces. Taking in the colours of Covent Garden Market, going shopping in Selfridge's, having a picnic in Green Park, people watching in Trafalgar Square, going to a movie in Leicester square, relaxing by the water. I could go on and on.

The map for all the events can be found on the Elephant Para
de London website, or indeed here:

http://www.elephantparadelondon.org/images/elephant_parade_london_routemap.pdf

My elephant 'Greetings from the Jungle' has been sponsored by European Land and is no. 103 on the map. He can be found at 31 Harbet Road, Paddington a mere stones throw from Paddington Railway Station or Edgware tube. As far as I can tell he is in fact down near the canal in the middle of the new developments rather than right on Harbet Road.

I made an event on Facebook, please feel free to invite all your friends and contacts. Additionally I will post all the photos I get of my elephant (or if you like of you and my elephant) there on the event and on my website (either in the main body of it or here). Either post the photos yourself on the event page or send them to me at gemma@gemmacumming.com.

http://www.facebook.com/?ref=logo#!/event.php?eid=113760665329125&index=1

If you want to facebook friend me, feel free to ask however I usually don't befriend just anyone, sorry but I'd rather know you in person somehow. However the event is being run through my facebook fan page and I'm always happy to have new fans. You'd get all of the important art related information there anyway rather than what I ate for breakfast this morning.

http://www.facebook.com/reqs.php#!/pages/Gemma-Cumming/14653030250


Finally my elephant was one of 80 chosen to be made into a miniature. As yet no sign of it online to buy but there are pop up shops in four London locations including: Selfridge's, 36 Carnaby Street, 80 Oxford Street and Greenwich Central Market. However if it is anything like the Amsterdam miniatures they will come in a selection of sizes from about 10cm to 20cm. I will post online images of people with my miniature as well. :)

The parade goes on until the 23rd June when all the elephants are rounded up from their sightseeing and have a week long party in the grounds of the Chelsea Royal Hospital. It is open to the public and I plan on popping down that week so I can see all the elephants together. I will be visiting my elephant before then however and there is a meet artist day on the 22nd May, so it is all go go go. On the 3rd is the auction (you can already express your interest in bidding for an elephant on the Elephant Parade Website!) and on the 4th we say goodbye to them all.

And while it is far from over I would like to quickly express my thanks to the Elephant Family for the opportunity, to European Land for sponsoring my elephant (especially while there are plenty of unsponsored elephants out there in the wilds of London, seriously poke your bosses and organisations and grab one, you'll get green points if nothing else), to those crazy guys at Ecomovers who delivered my elephant in all that snow and took him away for a trip around the country before getting back to London (made him into a real postcard there) and everyone else who supported me, read my blog and answered all my questions.
(All photos are of my elephant as he progressed)