James shares his experience, photographing the art installation by The Real Elephant Collective.

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I learned of the Great Elephant Migration art installation in Newport from my sister. She showed me a few shots she had taken on her phone and I was honestly blown away seeing these enormous creatures (all made from lantana camara, an invasive weed that encroaches on wildlife habitat) that had been placed throughout Newport, Rhode Island. Initially, I thought it would be funny to have some photos with my two Finnish Lapphunds, mixed in with the elephants given that they were raised to herd reindeer.





We picked the elephant display that is shared at Salve Regina College's McAuley Hall as there is public access to them at all times. No tickets or fences such as you get at the Breakers. Having the opportunity to mingle with these giant pieces of art was quite an experience, and it really did drive home the point that the land we are all standing on, at least most places on earth, struggles to cope with human expansion and its impacts on the large ecosystem. I want to be clear - I am incredibly pro-human and I am not suggesting that humans are a plague on the planet. It is honestly feels a bit silly that I should have to say that - but that seems to be the reaction from some people who don't like that fact pointed out. It is undeniable, however, that we are a population of over 8,200,000,000 and the globe is getting no larger. It seems clear that for our species to continue to grow and thrive that we need to insure that the rest of the biosphere does too. Of course, the problem with art is that while it may highlight the problem, figuring out a solution that works for the globe can be a bit more difficult. While I appreciate Leader Musks' push for us to colonize the rest of the solar system, I question whether or not the resources being put into that effort could be better spent here on earth.

One can describe the attitude of the security guards as being 'present but obliging.' I spoke to one guard who I think was more concerned that one of my dogs was going to pee on one of the elephants...which, I must say in his defense was a perfectly appropriate fear. There is no question in my mind, that had Wyatt not been under close supervision that there would have been urination. Fortunately, we were able to get through the art exhibit without my dogs urinating on them even once. Wyatt DID make a couple of half hearted stabs at it though. Bad Wyatt...Bad.






I want to thank Salve Regina for making the bold move to allowing such easy access to the elephants. Often times, there is an urge from institutions to limit access to the people. By allowing public access, I believe that Salve Regina made a bold step in honoring the initial concept of the display - which is allowing for us to share our common spaces together. I suppose that damage certainly could happen to the art pieces, but I guess that would some how be emblematic of the purpose of the art display as well. Even these giant creatures are incredibly delicate, and unfortunately we have come to a point where their survival (and that of many other creatures on this planet) really depends on our willingness to be good stewards of the environment.

Given that this is a rather large exhibit, I have had the opportunity to see some really wonderful images from other photographers attempting to conceptualize this art project differently. There was one taken with an aerial drone that I thought did a great job creating that sense of movement - with the mansions in the background. It really drove the point home. There was another image that someone attempted to do something different, with the Milky Way being prominantly exposed for. It was a tricky exposure, unfortunately, because of all the light pollution.

Ultimately, I decided to go low. You know, when those elephants are high...well, the thing to do is to go low and sense their enormity. As part of my attempt to keep a sense of what it would be like to photograph these amazing creatures at dawn (or dusk), I deliberately did not push my exposures. I know that most of them could be brighter - but I felt that the fiber of the elephants would be less distracting if I focused less on the minute details of the elephant, but instead focused on creating a mood of movement.




OK! Last images from the exhibit will be dog photos. What else????? This was my initial inspiration to go out there and look at this exhibit. Sometimes it takes a dog to make me see an art installation.





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