Elephant Parade

Conceptualised as part of the 2017 UK-India Year of Culture, Elephant Parade India was the country's largest-ever public art event, organised by conservation project Elephant Family, in association with Good Earth and in partnership with the Wildlife Trust of India. The campaign sought to raise funding and awareness toward the plight of the endangered Asian elephant; toward this end, designers and artists created 101 individual elephant sculptures which were displayed in Jaipur, New Delhi, Kolkata and Mumbai, before being auctioned online. The proceeds were then used to secure 101 elephant corridors across the country so that the animals can migrate in safety, reducing conflict with humans and preserving their natural habitats.

Interior design firm SHROFFLEóN, headed by couple Kayzad Shroff and María Jiménez León, was invited to participate in the event by Indian art consultant Aqdas Tatli, and decided to collaborate on the project with designer Rooshad Shroff. Our elephant, OrangeX2654, was the first creative collaboration between the brothers Shroff and our respective firms, which is why we thought it imperative that our work reflect an amalgamation of our distinct aesthetic sensibilities and methodologies. As a result, the signature element of both brands was embedded within the final product -- the naturally rugged Corten steel, a material used extensively by SHROFFLEóN, forms the uneven base of the sculpture, while finely detailed simulated embroidery, a signature element within the works of Rooshad Shroff, emerges in patchwork across the body. Taking 2,654 man hours to complete and given the predominant orange hue, the elephant’s name is a reflection of both.