Leica Lounge · November 10, 2016
India's Elephants
Annette Bonnier showed images and shared stories from her book, India's Elephants.
Says Bonnier about her project, "Throughout India elephants are respected as a spiritual animal, and Ganesh, the elephant-headed god, is venerated as one of the highest deities in the Hindu religion. However, there is an unusual dichotomy in the role of the elephant in Indian society, which wavers between the animal as an enlightened, spiritual being and as a beast of burden.
I was compelled to capture the many facets of elephant’s lives and their interaction with humanity. I witnessed the dance between the mahout’s directions and the elephant’s natural instincts, one that reveals both the bond of beings that have spent their lives together and the animal’s unnatural place in the human world. Everywhere I went, a feast of life constantly played around the elephant’s feet while she stood stoically with her trunk swaying. There were times when situations were intolerable and the wild/domesticated elephant rebelled and could become deadly.
This collection of photographs is a cultural documentation of elephants in Indian society. The elephant’s role is changing as wildlife conservation and concerns for the health and safety of domesticated elephants are growing. This complex and majestic animal, with its intelligence, intricate social hierarchy, and highly evolved communication skills, is caught in a changing world between the past and the future."
Book: India's Elephants
- When
- November 10, 2016
- Where
- Leica Store Miami, 372 Miracle Mile, Coral Gables
