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contraptions and reveres eccentric inventors. More than 56 square metres of reclaimed poplar was combined with steel ribs to create the elephant's sturdy skeleton. The attention to detail was extraordinary, from the flapping leather ears and deep wrinkles around the eyes to the puffs of dust sent up
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On the Sunday the show finished with a Grand Finale in which the girl climbed into the rocket, which then 'took off'. This involved the rocket firing, with smoke and flames coming out of the bottom. When the top was removed from the rocket by a crane the girl had disappeared. She had travelled in
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On Friday the elephant arrived along with the Sultan. An oversize marionette emerged from the rocket: this was the girl from the Sultan's dreams. The girl met the elephant. On the Friday evening the elephant wandered around
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The event, the biggest piece of free theatre ever staged in London, attracted audiences of up to a million people. It was brought to
England by the production company
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hundreds of moving parts and scores of pumping pistons (22 in the trunk alone), the elephant appealed to the same part of the
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from 4 to 7 May 2006. The show started with a rocket "crashing" in
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The girl had a needle and thread, and the things she sewed included a series of cars that were "sewn" to the tarmac.
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on His Time-Travelling
Elephant"). The show was commissioned to commemorate the centenary of
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of a girl and other associated public art installations. In French it was called
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The Sultan's
Elephant in Le Havre on October 2006. Pictures & videos
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La visite du sultan des Indes sur son éléphant à voyager dans le temps
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While they were in London the elephant and the girl were stored at
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external links, and converting useful links where appropriate into
348:. The Sultan's Elephant official London website. Archived from
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The giant girl performed alone, without the elephant, in
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by its plodding feet, and the snaking, reticulated trunk.
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may not follow
Knowledge (XXG)'s policies or guidelines
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theatre company, involving a huge moving mechanical
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166:The elephant no longer exists: Helen Marriage of
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377:"François Delarozière - Mechanical mystery"
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185:permanent exhibition. It is 20 feet tall.
117:(literally, "Visit from the Sultan of the
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74:Learn how and when to remove this message
16:Show by the Royal de Luxe theatre company
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428:. Les Machines de l'Ile. Archived from
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248:On the Saturday the elephant walked to
125:'s death, by the two French cities of
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571:The Observer review by Susannah Clapp
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198:The show was first performed in the
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581:The Guardian review by Emma Brockes
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400:Gardner, Lyn (27 August 2008).
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379:. London: The Daily Telegraph
141:The elephant was designed by
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561:BBC photographs 7 May 2006
556:BBC photographs 5 May 2006
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101:was a show created by the
451:"The Sultan's Elephant"
316:Associated performances
296:with fantasy vehicles.
264:Battersea Power Station
137:Design and construction
601:BBC video 10 July 2006
288:show was performed in
221:show was performed in
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551:BBC report 7 May 2006
546:BBC report 6 May 2006
541:BBC report 5 May 2006
536:BBC report 4 May 2006
286:The Sultan's Elephant
219:The Sultan's Elephant
173:A non-exact replica,
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99:The Sultan's Elephant
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607:Calais and Le Havre
566:BBC video 5 May 2006
426:"The Great Elephant"
312:26–29 October 2006.
143:François Delarozière
44:improve this article
628:Fictional elephants
500:English translation
300:Calais and Le Havre
92:Horse Guards Parade
56:footnote references
529:2006-04-27 at the
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633:Theatre of France
476:"French original"
194:Nantes and Amiens
175:Le Grand Eléphant
151:African elephants
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622:Categories
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461:2008-09-11
436:2008-09-14
411:2008-09-14
383:2008-09-14
356:2008-09-14
332:References
235:St James's
202:cities of
147:hydraulics
111:marionette
109:, a giant
326:ReykjavĂk
271:Artichoke
168:Artichoke
48:excessive
597:Antwerp
527:Archived
322:Santiago
310:Le Havre
294:carousel
107:elephant
94:, London
520:London
290:Antwerp
281:Antwerp
42:Please
34:use of
306:Calais
259:time.
239:London
227:tarmac
223:London
214:London
208:Nantes
204:Amiens
200:French
179:Nantes
131:Amiens
127:Nantes
119:Indies
245:bus.
129:and
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