My Trip to See the Faena Miami Mammoth
Okay, so I found myself down in Miami Beach. Wasn’t really planning on doing much touristy stuff, you know? Just wanted to get away from the usual grind. But then I kept hearing about this gold mammoth skeleton. Yeah, you heard me right. A gold mammoth. Sounded completely nuts, so I figured, why not?
It’s at the Faena hotel, which is one of those super swanky places on Collins Avenue. Getting there wasn’t hard, just walked down the boardwalk for a bit. You see all sorts walking along there. Anyway, you can’t miss the Faena. It’s bright red and looks like something out of a movie where everyone’s incredibly rich and probably a secret agent.
Walked onto the property, trying to look like I belonged. It’s pretty intimidating, honestly. Lots of gold leaf, velvet, people looking way too cool. Felt a bit out of place in my shorts and t-shirt, not gonna lie. You head towards the back, towards the beach and pool area.
And then you see it. Sitting there in this massive glass case between the pool and the beach. The golden mammoth. It’s huge. Like, properly massive. It’s actually called ‘Gone But Not Forgotten’ by Damien Hirst, apparently. Some big-shot artist.
It’s… well, it’s a gold-plated skeleton of a woolly mammoth. Staring out at the ocean. It’s definitely striking. You gotta give it that. Stood there for a good few minutes just looking at it.
- First thought: That must have cost an insane amount of money.
- Second thought: Why a mammoth? Why gold?
- Third thought: Only in Miami Beach, right?
It’s weird seeing something so old, like a fossil, but covered in gold and sitting by a fancy hotel pool where people are sipping cocktails that probably cost more than my lunch. Made me think about what we value, you know? We dig up history and then bling it out. Does that make it more important? Or just more expensive?
Reminds me a bit of this project I worked on years ago. We spent months perfecting this tiny little detail, really complex technical thing. Then the marketing guys just wanted to make the button bigger and shinier. Completely missed the point. Sometimes I think that’s what happens with stuff like this mammoth. The spectacle overshadows everything else.
But hey, I went, I saw the gold mammoth. It’s definitely a sight. You take a few pictures, scratch your head a bit, and then move on. You don’t need to pay or anything to just walk back there and see it, which is good. Just gotta walk through the fancy hotel lobby.
So yeah, that was my little adventure to see the Faena mammoth. An odd detour. Glad I saw it? Yeah, I guess. It’s one of those things you see a picture of and think, “Is that real?” Turns out, it is. Very real, very gold, very Miami.
