Lucky 13: Elephant in the Room 2015
Wood, conduit, nylon, plastic, illumination
15’ x 25’ x 16’
15’ x 25’ x 16’
A wood framed, nylon skinned, lifesized Lucky 13 Elephant is housed in a 15’ x 25’ pipe and nylon tent form. Lanternlike, The Elephant in the Room heralds new beginnings, letting go of a past selves and acquiring a new one. Celebrating the March 2015 decision discontinuing the use of elephants as performing animals by Ringling Brothers (native sons of Sauk County, Wisconsin, the commissioning entity) and Barnum and Bailey, Lucky 13: The Elephant in the Room is barely contained by the tentlike structure, massive, yet fragile. Ethereal, easily damaged, but cared for and protected. Lucky 13 refers both to the number of elephants due to retire in 2018, as well as the average height of an Asian elephant, most commonly found in the Circus. This ghost of an elephant accompanies the death of an era, while simultaneously ‘letting go’ of a past identity, making room for both memory and possibility to expand.
Commissioned by Wormfarm Institute, Farm/Art Dtour, Reedsburg WI
