My Process of Creating
My creative process begins with a spontaneous thought or a moment of external inspiration. Alongside the initial idea, I often imagine a deeper intention—something the object should convey beyond its physical form.
The creation of Elly the Elephant came on the heels of the first version of George the Giraffe & Big Poppy. Once again, I aimed to build a sculpture that captured the essence of its subject—in this case, an elephant.
This time, I wanted to include an interactive element to enhance the viewer’s experience. To this day, I don’t know where that idea came from, but I hoped it would add a sense of joy.
As seen in the first image below, the early prototypes were only 12 inches tall. Prototype 5 shows the point where I began experimenting with mechanisms to move the ears when the trunk was lifted.
By Prototype 11, I had settled on the design for the elephant’s head and body.
When I built the “First component” of the body, seen in the image of my wife standing in front of the giant hexagon, I suddenly realized the scale of the project and seriously considered abandoning it. Fortunately my wife encouraged me to move forward.
Due to the elephant’s size, I had to design each component so I could construct it in my basement shop, transport it into the backyard, and assemble or disassemble it by myself. At one stage, I even built a reusable temporary support structure to hold the parts in place during assembly.
In December 2017, I assembled the head and body for the first time in the backyard and was relieved to discover the structure was stable—though undeniably large.
It took several more prototypes to finalize the design of the ears, which would move when the trunk was lifted. I also had to refine the internal mechanism that connected the head, ears, and body to ensure smooth, safe, and reliable movement—while making sure it couldn’t accidentally harm anyone.
Ultimately, building Elly the Elephant was both a fun and challenging project. And it is now obvious that the sculpture is thoroughly enjoyed by the community.
No more than five minutes after its installation, as I watched from across the Somerville Community Path, a child approached the structure, lifted up the trunk, and the ear flapped forward. It made me very happy.
A video of the creation and installation can be seen on YouTube, and a delightful article about the sculpture appeared in The Boston Globe.
Hayward Zwerling
Making Elly the Elephant
