Taiwan Today

Elephant Parade, an open air exhibition of individually decorated 1.5-meter-tall statues of baby elephants, is underway until Sept. 30 in four cities around Taiwan as part of activities promoting Taipei’s designation as 2016 World Design Capital and raising awareness of Asian elephant conservation. Organized by Taipei City Government’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Shin Kong Mitsukoshi Department Store (SKM), the exhibition features 52 fiberglass statues on display at the company’s sites in northern Taiwan’s Taipei City, central Taiwan’s Taichung City and southern Taiwan’s Kaohsiung and Tainan cities. “Great effort has gone into instilling innovative elements into Taipei as a way of boosting the city’s visibility and transforming it into a center of creativity,” a DCA official said. “This process is also conducive to conveying the significance of urban development and heightening a sense of appreciation for design among residents.” Overseen by Montreal-based International Council for Societies of Industrial Design, WDC has been awarded biennially since 2008. Taipei’s WDC theme is Adaptive City, under which the local government is utilizing design to improve the metropolis’s environment, as well as residents’ cultural, economic and social lives. SKM President Steven Wu said the company is excited to be associated with the exhibition. “We believe the public will be equally enthusiastic about an event that is certain to generate interest in and support for elephant conservation.” According to SKM, Elephant Parade workshops will be held from Aug. 12 on the weekends at its Tainan store, with visitors welcome to meet some of the artists and learn more about the role of art in promoting Asian elephant conservation. The statues were decorated by talents from home and abroad, including graffiti artist ANO, picture book illustrator Rae Chou and graphic designer Joe Fang of Taiwan; Coco Electra of Denmark; Pocotee Loh of Malaysia; and Cindy Bishop, Duangrit Bunnag and Boony Laohajaroenyot of Thailand. All of the homegrown creations can be purchased via online auction, with proceeds going to Taiwan Black Bear Conservation Association and U.K-based nongovernmental organization Elephant Family. Elephant Parade was founded in 2006 by father and son Marc and Mike Spits. The former came up with the idea after seeing Mosha, a 7-month-old Asian elephant fitted with a prosthetic limb following a landmine blast in Thailand. To date, the event has been held in 19 cities worldwide, including Amsterdam, Hong Kong, London, Milan and Singapore. (KSC-E)