On a recent snowy day, the white elephant of Yarmouth Road stood stolidly amid the flurries, watched gratefully as the dreaded yellow garbage truck passed her by, and spent the remainder of the afternoon dangling her trunk in the snow.
On other days, classes of schoolchildren have come to visit the life-sized sculpture, agog and giggling. Offerings have been left by the fence: coins, miniature elephant beads, and a calling card for an obscure religious organization.
"I've always thought it was an amazing piece," said James Lawson, a computer network administrator at the University of Toronto and co-owner of the house at 77 Yarmouth Rd., southwest of the Dupont-Christie intersection. Mr. Lawson acquired the white Indian elephant from his friend, artist Matt Donovan.
The elephant was created as part of Mr. Donovan's graduating exhibit at the Ontario College of Art and Design. The original installation, titled An Elephant in the Room, also featured a flock of black sheep and a red herring. His OCAD professors were impressed with the execution, though a few people were offended that he was making a joke of art.
As for the artist, "It was produced on a student's budget and not up to the quality I would have liked," said Mr. Donovan, who also works as an industrial designer for contemporary artist Max Dean and collector/curator Ydessa Hendeles. He dismantled the elephant into its 12 parts -- the head, trunk and five sections for each side -- and stored them in his parents' basement.
He admits that his white elephant -- a mass of plywood covered with chicken wire then covered again with burlap, marine fibreglass, spray foam and finally Bondo auto body filler -- truly became his proverbial "white elephant."
A real white elephant is a rarity. In Thailand, it is a sacred symbol of royal power. The current king, Bhumibol Adulyadej, owns 10. In the past, white elephants have been given as gifts to kings' friends and allies. But because they are sacred, the animals could not be put to work and required a lot of care. Thus came the term "white elephant," meaning something that has outlived its usefulness to the person who owns it but still holds the potential to become the prized possession of someone else.
Mr. Donovan donated the quadruped to a charity auction. When the date arrived, however, so did hurricane Isabel. The sculpture could not be exhibited outdoors. So, his friend Mr. Lawson offered his front lawn as a permanent home.
"We love it," neighbour Kent Williams said. "One of the practical things it's done is slowed traffic down on the street -- a lot. People used to drive through the traffic chicanes like they were racing in Formula One."
In a neighbourhood known for its "far-out" houses, Mr. Lawson observed, the massive elephant fits right in. A few blocks over, a house on Clinton Street is covered in pool cues and other curiosities. And around the corner on Shaw is a simulation of the Greek Acropolis.
"In relative terms, we're hardly a blemish," said Mr. Lawson, who plans to keep his white elephant until it disintegrates from exposure.