Elephant Child is a natural extension of the artistic practice of New York-based French artist Camille Henrot. Originated during an Artist Research Fellowship at the Smithsonian Institution, and laid the groundwork for her 2013 video Grosse Fatigue and the subsequent installation The Pale Fox (2014–15), the book represents the culmination of a long-term inquiry into the human effort to make the universe comprehensible. The book contains an original text by Henrot (written with Clara Meister and Michael Connor), documentation, sketches, and research materials. An interview between Henrot and social anthropologist Monique Jeudy-Ballini offers insight into Henrot’s characteristic approach to knowledge production and organization.

Published by Inventory Press, the book’s highly readable yet complex layout integrates a primary text, video stills and installation photography, and a broad range of reference texts and images.