“Namaste” is a celebrity project commissioned, designed, and handcrafted for Celine Dion. The piece is on display at Resorts World Las Vegas and was created as a part of the Elephant Parade, the world’s largest touring public elephant art exposition to raise funds and awareness for elephant welfare and conservation.
The completed custom designed piece stands six-foot-tall and contains over 1.2 million Swarovski Crystal stones and beads.
The Tree of Life is a powerful symbol found in various cultures and spiritual traditions, representing interconnectedness, growth, and the cycle of life. It was utilized for the elephant’s feet because of its symbolism to the connection between all forms of creation—humans, animals, and nature—emphasizing that everything in the universe is linked.
The roots of the tree represent our connection to the earth and our past, while the branches reaching upward signify growth, personal development, and spiritual evolution. In many cultures, it also embodies concepts of rebirth and renewal, as trees shed their leaves and grow anew each year, mirroring the cycles of life, death, and regeneration.
Additionally, it often represents wisdom, strength, and the importance of balance in life.
The Royalty Blanket is traditionally used when elephants were part of royal processions or ceremonies in certain cultures. These blankets are intricately embroidered with luxurious materials like gold and silver threads, vibrant fabrics, and often adorned with jewels or mirrors.
The blanket is a symbol of status and grandeur, highlighting the elephant’s role as a symbol of power and majesty in royal events, religious festivals, and parades. Elephants draped in these blankets carried kings, queens, or other dignitaries, further emphasizing their connection to royalty and divine power.
The space in between the embroidery pieces on the elephant’s body represent the growth of life and the spread of prosperity and kindness within all living creatures. This space is embellished with blue sapphire and yellow citrine Swarovski crystals individually placed by hand to symbolize the blue and yellow from the Ukraine flag.
The front of the trunk was designed in a pattern that mimics the geographic map of Ukraine. The colors highlight and manifest Ukraine steel on the map. The distill on the trunk is to highlight the powerful sense of smell elephants possess. They can smell the aroma of water and food up to 10km away, and can also lift up to 300kg of weight.
The 40,000 Swarovski crystals embellished on the front of the trunk represent the 40,000 muscles inside the elephants trunk, as well as to highlight that there are only approximately 40,000 elephants left on earth.
The elephant’s eyes were created using the most common eye colors seen on elephants in the wild, which include dark brown, light brown, and honey. The colors are a representation of the natural order. Camille and her team payed close attention to detail to emphasize the fact that an elephant’s eyes are only slightly longer than the human eye; showing the similarities and differences between elephants and humans.
The final project was revealed at the Resorts World Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. NV
