In the little known French city of Nantes, a veritable army of mechanical animals is quietly readying itself for the eventual takeover of Western Europe. Well, not really, but it certainly would be cool if the incredible man-made menagerie known as the MACHINES OF THE ISLE OF NANTES currently on display in the port city would rise up and take their rightful place at the top of the foodchain on land & sea. The brainchild of French artists FRANCOIS DELAROZIERE and PIERRE OREFICE, the Mechanical Animal project is an ongoing initiative that began in 2007 with the debut of a massive mobile elephant sculpture over 12 meters tall that can carry 45 puny human passengers on its back—who, in turn, can operate the animal's trunk and trumpet call themselves—as it walks along city streets. The project's second stage, a collection of interactive marine life that will populate a massive multi-story carousel, is currently being constructed with a projected debut date of summer 2009. Currently, the entire collection is housed in a beautiful turn-of-the-century warehouse that once served as the city's shipbuilding hub and is open to the public for viewing daily. HAVE A LOOK:

THE ELEPHANT: