An abandoned warehouse is like a red rag to a bull for an urban explorer: irresistible. Often, it turns out to be an empty warehouse (which can be beautiful, too). In other cases, the warehouse is crammed with junk, or completely vandalized. And every so often, you stumble upon something you didn't expect at all... A collection of vintage cars, a rusty fleet of machinery... or a herd of elephants!

When Lille became the "European Capital of Culture" in 2004, the activities and exhibitions attracted a tourist crowd the city had never seen before. A few years later, they attempted to replicate that success with the creation of "Lille 3000," a biennial cultural event centered around a specific theme. The first edition kicked off with an international exhibition centered on the rich Indian culture. To add to the exhibition's grandeur, 20 gigantic statues of colorfully decorated Indian elephants were brought from India. These fiberglass elephants, encased in a metal frame, were designed by one of Bollywood's most renowned film production designers, Nitin Chandrakant Desai. The 20 colossuses were arranged in a kind of guard of honor along one of the city's main streets, which leads to the Opera House.