News ‘Mummyphant’ welcoming visitors to Maidstone Museum
As part of culture, art and music week at Elmer’s Big Heart of Kent Parade, Maidstone Borough Council’s ‘Mummyphant’ is welcoming visitors to Maidstone Museum.
Standing on the balcony area in Fremlin Walk, overlooking Maidstone Museum, paying tribute to the famous ‘Ta-Kush’ mummy which can be seen in the Museum.
Designed by award winning artist MrASingh, the Mummyphant sculpture is wrapped in 27 metres of medical grade plaster bandages which have been stained in coffee and acrylic paint used to create texture and shadow. The mummy within is painted in a rich gold with hieroglyphics to create the ‘aged’ effect.
MrASingh said:
"I was amazed to learn about Ta-Kush the mummy, Daughter of Osiris in Maidstone Museum’s Egyptian collection. This inspired the design for my Elmer and why I decided to draw her famous siblings, Horus and Anubis on the sides of Mummyphant. I have loved seeing families interact with the Elmer and I hope it inspires them to learn a bit more about the 2,700 year old mummy.”
Cllr Martin Round, Chair of the Economic, Regeneration and Leisure Committee at Maidstone Borough Council is really enjoying the trail, he said:
“These beautifully decorated colourful elephants are causing quite a stir in our County town, they are wonderful and bringing so much joy and fun to the area. All for such an amazing cause, raising money for Heart of Kent Hospice. If you haven’t done so already see how many you can find!“Don’t forget to go in the Museum and also see the herd of six small Elmer’s which have all been designed by local school children. These are displayed in the reception area and art gallery until the end of the trail and are free to visit.
“Visitors arriving at ‘Mummyphant’ will also have the chance to win a free ticket to see Father Christmas at Maidstone Museum.”
At each sculpture there is the opportunity to claim a prize or reward by downloading the ‘Wild in Art’ app as each Elmer has a unique app code. Once people tap the code in to their mobile device, it will reveal some rewards to be downloaded, fun trail statistics and family-friendly challenges.
The 51 large and 31 small elephants are based on David McKee’s popular children’s character Elmer the Patchwork Elephant in the exciting trail for visitors of all ages to enjoy. The trail totals around six miles, takes visitors all over Maidstone and includes three walks.
Maidstone Museum, which is also the home of the town’s Tourist Information Centre has a supply of trail maps as well as a collection tin with all proceeds going to the Heart of Kent Hospice.
All Elmer’s will be on show until 22 August when they will be rounded up for a farewell weekend where they can all be seen at Lockmeadow. This will run from Friday 3 September to Sunday 5 September.
Each elephant sculpture will then be auctioned on Thursday 9 September to further support the charity.