Isn’t it beautiful? The photo is by Sarah Laslett for Royal de Luxe, the French theater company that created The Sultan’s Elephant, a performance piece in which this gigantic mechanical elephant walked through the city streets of London in 2006. It was produced by Artichoke, a theater production company and funded by the city of London. To think that ordinary Londoners had no idea what was happening when this elephant appeared is extraordinary and thrilling. On Thursday and Friday, this week, the Harvard Graduate School of Design, sponsored by the Loeb Fellowship, will hold a two day exploration—Art in the Life of the City: London Stories.

The photo is one side of the program I designed and, yes, even after the computer hassles of yesterday it is now printed and looks great! I popped over to the printer in Harvard Square this morning to see it. It’s tabloid sized and I now have the photo on the wall of my studio. It’s great to think how art can be a collaborative venture that gives joy in mysterious ways. What a preposterous idea to have a gigantic elephant appear from the wreck of a wooden ’space ship’ that has crashed into one of London’s main streets! It’s even more preposterous to think that no-one, not even the media had any idea what was happening. But all of London got caught up in it. It’s magic that no one in London will ever forget. How fine is it to carry a little magic with us as we move through our lives?

The computer problems of yesterday are now forgotten. Funny how they can trip the stress switch. The printer, Derek, was very kind today to say he knew just what I was talking about. Perseverance pays, as they say. Things can always come right.

I’m so looking forward to the event and will report. I’m expecting to be massively inspired as if I’ve seen an elephant walking down the street. Stay tuned!