The Elephant in the Room
‘Sand House – The Elephant in the Room’ is a project supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England and runs from 23 April until 29 
June 2012. It is based at The Point, 16 South Parade,Doncaster, DN1 2DR. The closing date has been extended from 15 June so that the exhibition will still be on display when the Olympic torch passes The Point on 26 June.
The project includes several key elements, the most striking of which is the creation of a full-sized replica of the original ‘Elephant & Mahout’ carving from the Sand House tunnels, carved from compacted sand.
Exhibition:
The centrepiece of the exhibition is a 40-tonne sand sculpture of the ‘Elephant & Mahout’, but there are also several other, smaller sand sculptures, inspired by the Sand House.
In addition, there are story boards giving an insight into the history of this unique feature of Doncaster’s past, a 19-minute documentary film by Aberration Films about the making of the exhibition and a time-lapse video showing the ‘Elephant & Mahout’ being carved.
Training course in Sand Carving:
The artistic director for the exhibition is Jamie Wardley of Sandinyoureye. He is one of the UK’s leading sand and ice sculptors. In parallel with carving the ‘Elephant and Mahout’, Jamie ran a 5-day training course for enthusiastic artists, amateur or professional, who wished to learn sand carving skills. By the end of the course each trainee had created their own sand carving, inspired by the Sand House. These carvings will be displayed throughout the exhibition.
School & Family Workshops:
Jamie Wardley and Sandinyoureye ran several half-day workshops in sand carving for pre-booked school groups and a day of one-hour sessions for families. Everyone who took part had a great time and the feedback was excellent. Arrangements are now in hand to transfer the sand that was used for the Workshops to a new site, where it can continue to be used for similar activities for years to come.
Stone-Carving Demonstrations:
There were 3 days of stone-carving demonstrations held at Doncaster Minster and provided by the West Riding Stonecarving Association. The demonstrations showcased the skills that were used in creating the original sculptures at the Sand House.
Oral History Day:
On Thursday 31 May an Oral History Day will be held, when anyone who has their own memories of the Sand House or its tunnels can come along to chat about what they remember. Their recollections will be audio-recorded and will serve as a lasting record of this important part of Doncaster’s heritage.
Illustrated Talk:
Richard Bell, co-author of ‘The Sand House – A Victorian Marvel Revisited’, will give one of his much-praised illustrated talks on
the subject, during the course of the project.
If you are interested in visiting the exhibition or taking part in any of the other activities above and would like more information, please contact us.
In addition to Arts Council England, ‘Sand House – The Elephant in the Room’ is also being supported by the following companies and organisations, to which the organisers offer their grateful thanks:
Below, you will find a Calendar of Events for ‘Sand House – The Elephant in the Room.
| Activity | Venue | Dates | Description |
| Previews | The Point | Monday 23rd to Saturday 28th April 2012 | The Gallery’s mezzanine was open for Previews, during which visitors were able to see the sand sculpting taking place. |
| Sand Carving Training Course | The Point | Wednesday 25th to Sunday 29th April 2012 | This free sand carving Training Course ran for five days and included all tutoring, materials, lunches and refreshments. |
| Exhibition open to the Public | The Point | Wednesday 2nd May to Friday 29thJune 2012 | The Full Exhibition is open to the public during The Point’s normal opening hours of 10am to 4pm (Mon, Tue & Fri) and 10am to 9pm (Wed & Thu). |
| Saturday 12th May 2012 | A special Saturday opening of the full exhibition at The Point, from 10am to 4pm. | ||
| School Workshops | The Point and theArtsPark | Thursday 10th & Friday 11th May | Pre-booked school parties learned sand carving skills at half-day Workshops, as well as visiting the Exhibition. |
| Family Workshops | The Point and theArtsPark | Saturday 12th May | Pre-booked family groups learned sand carving skills at one-hour long Family Workshop sessions, as well as visiting the Exhibition. |
| Stone carving demonstrations | Doncaster Minster | Thu 24th, Fri 25th & Sat 26th May | Watch a modern-day sculptor demonstrating his Stonecarving skills to show how the original Sand House carvings would have been made. |
| Oral History Day | The Point | Thursday 31st May | Come along to The Point to talk about your personal memories of the Sand House and its tunnels and have them recorded to form a unique Oral History of this lost marvel. Drop in any time between 11am and 6:30pm. |
| Illustrated Talk ‘Sand House – A Victorian Marvel’ | The Point | Thursday 7th June7pm | Hear the Story of the Sand House from the mid-19thcentury to the present day and see lots of photographs of the house in its heyday. |
