Bon Voyage to the little girl and elephant
After watching the spectacle of Royal De Luxe’s Sultan’s Elephant on Saturday, there was no way I was going to miss the final day. Thankfully the weather was really warm and sunny this time, so I left my brolly at home. Got to Piccadilly at about 2.30 to see the elephant, then made our way down to St. James’s Park where a large crowd had gathered around the little girl as she slept in her giant deck chair (apparently earlier in the day she’d nipped round a corner and squatted down on the road to have a pee!). The girl awoke a few minutes later, and was soon lifted to her feet to begin a walk around the park. Every now and again she’d pause to lean forward nearer to people, or to just look around.
After a bit of a stroll, the girl knelt down so that kids could take turns to swing back and forth on her arms. It’s amazing how a marionette can be made to seem so expressive, with a real look of tenderness to the girl’s face as she played with the kids.
We left the little girl still playing in the park and wandered up to Waterloo Place to have a look at the site of the spaceship landing. Unfortunately we couldn’t spot the stitched cars though, and it was getting a little too crowded to go looking (the little girl likes to sew, and had sewed a row of cars together, partly crushing them in the process, with the stitches going into the tarmac).
By now, judging by the noise and the thousands crammed into Waterloo Place, the elephant was nearby. We decided to stop to watch it on the corner where it would turn in to Pall Mall, figuring (correctly) that it would have to swing right over us to make the tight turn. The crowd roared as the elephant came into view (as did the elephant), and it slowly proceeded down Waterloo Place, spraying water as it went. The feeling when the elephant eventually passed by us was incredible; 42 tonnes of power and beauty, ears flapping, trunk constantly exploring, eyes looking around and blinking… Breathtaking. Sod the Olympics, can’t we have Royal Deluxe here every weekend?
Once the elephant had sauntered off down Pall Mall, we returned to St. James’s Park to find the little girl again. We arrived just as she was setting off up the Mall on her scooter, hands gripping the handlebars, the other leg ‘propelling’ her along the road. It was at this point that I started kicking myself for forgetting to charge up the camera batteries, as the camera decided to switch itself off. Bugger. Not sure how many photos I’d have got mind, as the little girl got up quite a speed, and we had to run to keep up with her.
The little girl met up with the Sultan’s Elephant on the Mall and dismounted her scooter, before leading the parade back down to Horse Guard’s Parade (I managed to wring one more photo out of the camera before it died again). I had a grin a mile wide! It was at this point that we found ourselves stood next to Rolf Harris, which added to the somewhat trippy feel to the day (his shoes were covered in multi-coloured paint splatters, which I rather liked).
Horse Guard’s Parade was so crowded that we could only just see the show (and again got a couple more pictures). The little girl donned a leather flying helmet and goggles and was lowered into the rocket. The top was then lowered onto the rocket as the girl sat waiting inside, and once it was in place, the elephant touched it with its trunk. I’m not too embarrassed to admit that I tears in my eyes at this point.
The rocket then ‘took off’ — big pyrotechnics and lots of smoke, then the top of the rocket was removed to reveal that the girl had vanished (I’m sure there’ll be lots of pics on Flickr). The end of a truly wonderful and unforgettable weekend. Thank you Royal de Luxe.
Was it art though? I think so; it was possibly the most spectacular man-made thing I’ve ever witnessed, and it moved me like nothing I’ve ever seen in an art gallery.
Your photos are great – I haven’t seen any others documenting the whole story. It was an amazing experience, and I’m with you on having something similar each week instead of the Olympics. You can see my photos of The Sultan’s Elephant here.
Thanks Sean, glad you liked them. Despite my aching feet on Monday, I still didn’t manage to capture anything like all the goings-on. In fact your photos fill in a few blanks, e.g. the Elephant picking up the truck (great shot – haven’t seen any other pictures of that) and the girl in Trafalgar Square. Liked your other photos too – Kenickie particularly.
Don’t read blog sites very often but your account and pictures are magnificent.
Could not get to London to watch myself because I was in hospital but my 2 year old granddaughter saw it. We now have a recording of the BBC4 programme and have watched it 6 times in 2 days. It is quite amazing even on a small screen and I feel like crying every time the little girl gets back into her rocket. I have heard a rumour that the show may be back on the road later in the year in France and would be very grateful if someone could let me know where and when.
Glad you were there
Derrick
Thank you for the complimentary words, Derrick. My description and still photographs can’t really do justice to the magical atmosphere, but I’m pleased you liked them. It’s a real shame that you weren’t able to come down for the show, but I’m sure your granddaughter loved it. I watched the documentary, and like you, found the little girl’s departure very moving. Apparently the Sultan’s Elephant will be appearing in both Belgium and France – I’ll dig out the details and post them on shortly.
My partner and i were absolutely entranced by the BBC4 documentry and like yourself recorded it and we have shown to all our respective children however can anybody identify the music that BB4 used when the little girl was emerging from the rocket i know there is a cd out for the performance but this particular track isnt on it
hey i think that this is very creepyand is wierd.
wow that is harsh!!!