Tembo

Tembo

by Kevin Box, Richard Alexander

Painted cast bronze

2.5"x 4"x 2"

2020

Limited Edition of 500

In 2017, as a part of a campaign to raise awareness about elephant poaching, the Bronx Zoo put out a call for origami elephants and over 200,000 of them arrived in response. The Zoo was able to display 78,564 of them folded by people from all 50 states and 40 countries from around the world. The exhibit broke the Guinness World Record for the largest number of origami elephants ever displayed. Richard Alexander’s original origami elephant “Two-Tone” was one of the 4 designs folded to break the record.

This elegant piece has now been captured in museum quality bronze by the Kevin Box Studio and is available in a limited edition in two sizes. The miniature “Tembo” means Elephant in the African language of Swahili and the larger bronze is called “Jambo” which means “Hello” in the same language. An even more limited number of bronzes within the editions will be hand painted in two colors to honor Alexander’s original design using Duogami paper and his title “Two-Tone.”

https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/11/21/502911042/bronx-zoo-breaks-world-record-for-largest-display-of-origami-elephants