GAIA: Elephant Parade London 2010

In 2010, Elephant Parade London transformed the capital into a vast outdoor art exhibition, with more than 250 life-sized elephant sculptures designed by artists, designers and celebrities. The project was created by Elephant Family to raise awareness and funds for the protection of the endangered Asian elephant and its habitats, reaching an estimated 25 million people across London.

As a first-year Fine Art student at the University of the Creative Arts, I along with fellow students Carla Maria Jackson and Kevin Darke entered a competition to design a 1.5-metre-high elephant sculpture for this project.

Our design, ‘Gaia’, was selected as the winning entry and was subsequently displayed on the King’s Road in Chelsea. Sponsored by Asahi Beer, the design responded to the requirement for a conservation theme, drawing on the Gaia Theory and the idea of Earth as one interconnected living system.

Painted as a blue representation of the planet, Gaia explored the relationship between human activity, environmental damage and the fragile balance of the natural world. Our elephant was later auctioned for £22,000, contributing to the wider fundraising success of Elephant Parade London, which raised more than £4 million for Asian elephant conservation.

The next Elephant Parade is scheduled to take place in Talad Noi and Songwat Road, Bangkok, Thailand 14 November 2026 - 14 February 2027. Sculptures will be displayed across 50 locations, inviting visitors to explore the area and discover the stories behind each artwork.

The theme, "Wonders of Thailand," celebrates the many things that make Thailand unique. Each elephant is designed by an artist and tells its own story, drawing inspiration from Thai culture, nature, traditions, and everyday life.