Rupture -Work in Progress

As part of 'Rupture- Work in Progress' I get 3 days to do some art in the Waiting Room, a DIY venue including artist studios and exhibition space in Colchester. I plan to build a ping pong table with this picture of an elephant getting on a train on it. 

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Time-lapse video of screen printing workshop on 4/6/16 at the Waiting Room Colchester

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the prints made by people at the workshop

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Tom Armstrong, Electrophant, 2016Photographic Screen Print 

This invention was created by Frank Stuart from Thaxted, Essex. Run on an internal combustion engine,and covered in realistic looking hides,it was hoped that the Electrophant would become a seaside attraction and prompt orders from all over the world. The electric elephant was, however, not a commercial success. A short film showing this invention in action can be watched online at the East Anglian Film Archive.

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Tom Armstrong, Elephants on Crouch Street, 2016 Photographic Screen Print 

The photograph for this print was produced in the early 1880s. the image shows between twelve and fourteen elephants parading down Crouch Street in Colchester and past the Kings Arms pub. It is claimed that the elephants belonged to the George Sanger circus travelling the country. Attractions like this enjoyed popularity throughout Victorian times. 

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Tom Armstrong, Elephants in Chelmsford, 2016 Photographic Screen Print 

Bonds of Chelmsford, at one time the biggest department store in that town, moved to the High Street in 1870. The store dominated the centre of town for almost a century. To advertise their business, the shop used live elephants draped in rugs that paraded in front of the shop. More information about this history can be found on the Essex Record Office website.

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Tom Armstrong, Elephants at St.Botolph’s Station, 2016 Photographic Screen Print 

On September 28th 1961 the Charles Chipperfield Circus left Colchester after a run of performances here. This image documents the circus elephants being loaded onto the train at Town Centre station on their way to their next destination. Railways were a common way in which livestock was transported. It is claimed that these elephants later appeared in the film ‘Cleopatra’(1963) starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. More information can be found on the National Railway Museum website.

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the ping-pong table and 20p ball dispenser

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fancy gold prints - rewards for backers of kickstarter campaign. 

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flyer for the workshop

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signs for the workshop - 4/6/16

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Here are some of the things that happened since yesterday. Prints are ready, so is the ping pong table. Let’s get some history and print out there.

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Colchester and the elephant - Interesting In Colchester

Colchester’s two thousand year association with the elephant When we think of elephants in Colchester, our minds automatically think of the elephants up at Colchester Zoo which first opened to the public as Stanway Hall Park Zoo in 1963. Colchester has had a long association with elephants for nearly two thousand years and with elephants …

A summary of the long history of elephants in Colchester!

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Images of Chipperfield Circus elephants being loaded onto the train at Colchester Town Station in 1961.

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Source: Popular Science May 1965. "Mechanical elephant looks real – This battery-driven elephant looks so much like the real thing that people have complained of its treatment. Built for a British ice show, it annoyed some to see it walk on ice. Guided by controls in the neck, it's powered by a one-hp., 50-volt motor …

The history and demise of the Electrophant, originating in Essex. 

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All of this happened since last night at the Brew House and at the Waiting Room in Colchester, Essex.

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Made this today, the start of a ping pong table. Play it on Saturday!

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Come to this! It’s free!