Hannibal taking elephants over the Alps has become an archetypal example of pushing forward despite enormous obstacles. This resonates with my experience as a new parent, and so Hannibaby is a new project for 2026 that celebrates parenting, offering a unique, hands-on creative experience to families in areas of England where creative opportunities are few and far between.

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Starting in Barrow in Furness, families across England will create exciting geometric elephant masks and add their own portraits to a toddler-carrying elephant puppet styled on the Carthaginian general Hannibal. Together we’ll parade our elephants through local towns and countryside, championing creativity and parenthood. Then, they will follow the puppet on a journey through the French Alps in a video series, showing how creativity can bring communities and stories to life on a huge online stage.

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The central puppet is a giant elephant carrying an ornamented howdah, with my toddler dressed as the Carthaginian General inside. A humanette body disguises me as the elephant mahout. The design will be visually striking, capable of walking over challenging terrain, and decorated with hundreds of silk self-portraits created by participating families.

 

After the activity in England, Hannibaby will make its way to France to take on the mountains, following in the footsteps of Hannibal Barca himself.

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This project is counting on receiving funding from Arts Council England.

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