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Lyn Gardner Saturday May 6, 2006 The Guardian "If art is about transformations, there is no more transforming experience than The Sultan's Elephant, a large-scale outdoor free spectacle produced by French company Royal de Luxe. This is a show that disrupts the spectacle of everyday life and transforms the city from an impersonal place of work and business into a place of play and community. It does something very simple and important: it makes you feel incredibly happy and it gives you permission to let your imagination take flight. It turns us all into beautiful dreamers with silly grins on our faces." |
![]() Our first, exciting, glimpse of the elephant |
![]() The girl towers over the crowd |
"The elephant is a time-travelling beast that belongs to
the sultan who - accompanied by his exotic retinue - has come to our world in
search of a little girl. The little girl is a puppet the size of a house. The elephant trumpets so noisily that on Friday afternoon sunbathers in St James' Park, oblivious to what was going on, enquired whether there might be a circus in town. What the Sultan's Elephant represents is nothing less than an artistic occupation of the city and a reclamation of the streets for the people." |
![]() The elephant sprays the crowd with water! |
![]() Controlled by cute Frenchmen. Lucky elephant. |
![]() George and the Elephant |
![]() Another cute controller |
![]() This man with impressive arms was a voracious reader. |
![]() Nick holds the souvenir paper. |
![]() The girl's scooter, abandoned near the Horse Parade |
![]() Policemen look on with awe. |
![]() A cool, futuresque look at the inner workings of the elephant |
![]() The girl snoozes in the park. Remember: official lunchtime for Frenchmen is 12.30. We thought it was wonderful that, even in London, they just abandoned the elephant to go and eat lunch. |
![]() One for the handful of straight men who find this site: One of the sultan's retinue gets bathed on top of the elephant. |
![]() And one for the thousands of women and gay men who find this site. |
![]() The sultan's party arrived in this rocket ship. The London Eye is in the background. |
![]() Fleeing from the elephant |
![]() A nice shot of one of the guards that Lucille Ball would have tried to make laugh. |
![]() Nick poses with Bear Street in the background. |
![]() Another Superman sighting! |
![]() Nick outside Buckingham Palace |
![]() Flowers in St. James Park |
![]() George with the tulips |
![]() A man and his dog |
![]() A man checks his camera |
![]() This street artist was near the Royal Festival Hall |
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![]() An installation that moved and made sounds when you walked by. |
![]() Nick activates the whirling circle. |
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