Denim art illustrates plight of elephants

A life-size elephant crafted by a Chinese designer from recycled denim went on display at London's Tate Exchange last weekend, illustrating the hardships of the natural world and calling for greater protection of the environment and animals within it.

Inspired by her trip to Africa, fashion designer Liang Mingyu, whose work featured in the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, made the elephant artwork entitled Masai Mara. She said it expresses her feelings about the animal and that she hopes it will raise awareness of wildlife conservation.

"In 2015, I visited the Masai Mara wildlife refuge in Africa. One day, I sat in my friend's car and saw a group of elephants 20 meters away," she recalled.