Pachyderms on parade
Last month Bangkok was invaded by dinosaurs, and this month, it's the turn of the elephants
A herd of sumptuously decorated fibreglass pachyderms has muscled in on the space in Siam Square left empty by T Rex, as the “Elephant Parade” replaces the “Asian Dinosaur” exhibition held last month at Siam Paragon.
Standing in the warm sunshine at Parc Paragon, royal elephants with elegant silver and gold head-dresses rub shoulders with a Lego-inspired beast and a creature that appears to be half-pachyderm-half-sheep as well as Mosha, the pachyderm with a prosthetic limb, who inspired this annual show.
The show’s been to 20 cities around the world since 2007 but is only now getting its first airing in Thailand, where the idea actually originated.
Founded by Marc Spits and his son Mike after a visit to the Friends of the Asian Elephant hospital in Lampang, northern Thailand, the charity event not only raises funds for elephant conservation but also celebrates His Majesty the King’s 88th birthday anniversary, which fell on Saturday.
It was at the Lampang hospital that the Spitses met Mosha, a baby elephant who lost her leg after stepping on a landmine when she was just seven months old. Now an adult, she is fitted with a new prosthetic leg every year and must then learn to walk all over again. Mosha always features in each Elephant Parade exposition and for the Bangkok show has a Thai-themed painted prosthetic leg – lacquer adorned with gold leaf.
The parade was first organised in the Spitses’ hometown of Rotterdam back in 2007 and has since travelled to London, Milan, Copenhagen, Hong Kong and California. At each of its stops, local celebrities and artists are invited to decorate the 1.5-metre-tall fibreglass models that are then auctioned off to raise funds.
In Bangkok, more than 20 well-known names have answered present to the roll call, among them illustrator Wisut Ponnimit, supermodel Sirinya “Cindy” Bishop, and award-winning ceramic artist Wasinburee Supanichvorapach.
Wisut has named his elephant “Golden Mind” and covered it with his signature character Mamung Chan (Mango Girl). Sirinya spent six months working on her pachyderm, painstakingly dressing her in a sarong and naming her “Serina” – a play on her own name that incorporates the Thai word seri, meaning “freedom”. Wasinburee has decorated his “Brick Elephant” in colourful Lego style.
“The elephant is our country’s national symbol,” Sirinya, the Elephant Parade Bangkok’s ambassador told XP, “but somehow this once-revered and noble creature is now forced to beg for food on the busy and dangerous streets of the capital.
“I truly hope that this magnificent colourful pachyderm parade will raise awareness and inspire us all to take more concrete steps to ensure their survival and well-being.”
Chiang Mai-based Australian Chris Chun is the man behind “Sheepafant”, which sports a blue elephant body with a knitted white headdress.
“2015 is the Year of the Sheep. I thought it would be really fun to create an elephant using pompoms, which are a distinctive element in many of the handicrafts where I live in Chiang Mai. Sheepafant loves to be hugged, which brings good luck, not only for the elephants but also for their admirers,” explains Chun, whose creation is among the 30 pieces that have already been sold to sponsors, raising about Bt6 million.
Chun is not the only one to have brought another animal into play. Artist Pongsuang “Note” Kunprasop came up with “Phanda”, a Panda-like pachyderm, Studio Chiang Mai is behind “Rudolph” a reindeer- headed elephant, while Sharon Kwok has added a shark’s tail to the elephant’s body and called it “Sharkphant”. They too have been snapped up.
“There are 58 elephant statues currently in the online auction. The starting price for bidding is Bt200,000 and some special elephants are expected to fetch up to Bt2 million plus. The live auction is being held by Christie's at a gala dinner at Anantara Siam Bangkok on February 16 and we expect to raise a minimum of Bt10 million, hopefully more,” says Tim Boda, operations director of Minor Hotel Group and the organiser of Elephant Parade Bangkok.
Proceeds from both auctions will be donated to the Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation who in turn will select strategic partners to drive forward key projects including building the first elephant clinic in Chiang Mai’s Mae Taeng Valley, expanding their Positive Reinforcement Target Training Project to even more elephants and helping protect the wild elephants in Thailand’s National Parks.
“The more awareness that is raised on the plight of domestic and wild elephants in Thailand, the better the chances we have for their survival,” William E. Heinecke, Chairman and CEO of Minor International, the parent company of Anantara, Hotels Resorts & Spas, commented. “I can’t think of a better way to raise awareness and money than bringing the largest open air art exhibition in support of Asian Elephants to Bangkok.”
But while awareness and money will no doubt be raised, so much more could have been done to make the design more exciting and better integrated with the environment than just lining up the pachyderms in Parc Paragon, along the walkway at the front and on ground floor of the shopping mall.
MIGHTY ROAR
< “The Elephant Parade Bangkok” is at Siam Paragon until December 18. The exhibition will move to Asiatique from December 20 to January 11 and Lumpini Park from January 18 to 29.
