Herd of Sheffield
Alan Pennington Art • July 11, 2016
"Our City, Our Home" - Alan Pennington
In the Summer of 2016 I was extremely proud to have been part of the Herd of Sheffield Elephant Trail - The largest Charity Public Art Event the City has ever seen!
The trail saw 58 unique painted elephants scattered around the city making a trail for people to follow. What made this project so brilliant was that it not only got people visiting and discovering all corners of our stunning city, but also raised a substantial amount of money for The Sheffield Children’s Hospital Charity and The Artfelt Programme.
Now, measuring 1.6m tall, this was the largest & most unusual project I’ve ever put my artwork onto. The day I collected my elephant and brought her back to the studio there really was an elephant in the room! A vast, blank canvas stood in front of me in the shape of a giant white elephant, and for a while I contemplated where to begin. It had been one thing sketching out my elephant design on flat paper, but taking it onto a 3D elephant shaped canvas was a very different situation. The first thing I realised was that I needed to take my time drawing the artwork onto the elephant so I could get used to working over the contours, nooks and crannies of the sculpture in order to get comfortable working in this way as opposed to on a flat canvas. It didn’t take too long to get used to working like this, and pretty soon the whole process felt really natural. There were some “interesting” moments involving what felt like expert yoga moves
in order to draw & paint on parts of the sculpture; In particular, laying flat on the floor in order to paint the Leffy’s belly whilst dodging blobs of green paint which dripped back down every now and again! I looked like Shrek by the end of that day!
It took about a week to complete my elephant, and once she was ready and varnished, I returned her to the Herd HQ ready for launch day a week later. I don’t think i’ve ever been so careful with anything in my life!
The Herd launched on 11th July
and it was a very proud moment for me. I have been incredibly flattered and humbled by people’s reactions to my elephant design. I’ve seen so many selfies, (or “elphies” as they call them) of friends and families huddled around her, smiling ear-to-ear, and I have received loads of kind emails about how people have loved looking at the mural of Sheffield which features on my elephant design.
From seeing elderly couples pointing out the different buildings on my elephant design and smiling as they reminisce, to seeing families and their children loving the bright colours and checking the elephant off on their Herd of Sheffield App, it has been a very heart-warming project.
Above: Lord Mayor Cllr Denise Fox
& The Sheffield Children's Hospital Charity
team with "Our City, Our Home".
After three months it was time for the herd go off to auction
and to their new homes. To me, they had all become a part of our city and were iconic landmarks in their own right. Everyone embraced them from day one. The great thing is though, they have left a legacy of memories and photographs for so many people
whilst they were on our streets for all to enjoy; and although they may no longer live amongst us on the streets around our city, they will have gone off to new homes and raised much needed money for an incredible cause in their departure.
🐘🐘 Fun Facts about my “Sheffalump”!
🐘🐘
• She was located at the iconic Park Hill Flats, Sheffield, in the same spot the TARDIS lands in Doctor Who!
• There is a small heart shape hidden somewhere on the body
of my elephant.
• Our City, Our Home was the first elephant to be placed on the Herd of Sheffield Trial.
• Sheffield band, Reverend & The Makers showed love
for my elephant artwork
• My elephant was the first to be auctioned at the Herd of Sheffield Auction at the Crucible.
She raised a superb £4,200 for the Sheffield Children’s Hospital Charity.
• There are 17 iconic landmarks & scenes of Sheffield featured in my elephant
design.
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