About the project
The Elephant in the Room is a 3×2 m oil painting by Zambian artist Silvester Mali, transformed into an interactive digital artwork that explores the complex realities of human–elephant coexistence in Zimbabwe. Created together with Hack The Planet, Gonarezhou National Park, Gonarezhou Conservation Trust and the Frankfurt Zoological Society, the project blends fieldwork, storytelling and art to spark meaningful conversation about one of southern Africa’s most pressing conservation challenges.
Users navigate through different scenes within the painting, each revealing a layer of the ecological, social and ethical tensions that shape life for elephants and the people living alongside them.
A story unfolding
The interactive artwork unfolds as a story, guiding viewers through the layered realities of human–elephant coexistence. It begins with an elephant trapped inside a collapsing room — a metaphor for a problem that has grown too large and too close to ignore. From there, the narrative expands outward, contrasting the vast historical ranges elephants once roamed with the fragmented landscapes of today, shaped by cities, roads and mining concessions.
As the viewer moves deeper into the piece, the focus shifts to the present-day situation in Gonarezhou. Elephants thrive inside the protected boundaries of the park, yet communities to the west struggle with crop destruction while poaching pressure remains a threat in the east. The story also explores the promise of wildlife corridors and transfrontier conservation areas, revealing both their potential and their complexity.
Environmental pressures become visible, too — including the collapse of ancient baobab trees under intense elephant browsing, with ecological consequences that ripple through entire ecosystems. The human dimension is equally present: night-time raids on fields, damaged livelihoods, and the fear that shapes daily life in villages located along elephant pathways. At the same time, the artwork highlights the economic benefits linked to elephants, such as tourism and conservation jobs, while acknowledging that these benefits are unevenly distributed among the region’s 80,000-plus residents.
Beyond a single answer
Throughout the experience, contrasting perspectives emerge: the awe of international visitors seeing elephants from a distance, set against the reality of farmers living right next to them. The narrative ends by examining the difficult management decisions that conservationists face — from translocation and fertility control to the controversial topic of culling — each option carrying its own ethical and ecological consequences.
Rather than offering simple answers, The Elephant in the Room invites viewers into a space of reflection. Through a blend of art, field research and digital storytelling, it reveals the interconnected challenges of conserving elephants while supporting human livelihoods, encouraging deeper understanding of what coexistence truly demands.
