Status: Temporary Exhibit (Now Removed)
Not the first time a whale has washed up on Redcar Beach, but thankfully this wasn’t a real one.
Instead it’s a “life-size, hyperreal statue of a sperm whale” created by Captain Boomer Collective in collaboration with Zephyr Wildlife reproductions.
A thought-provoking piece, Captain Boomer Collective describe it as follows:
“A dumb question from the sea to man. A riddle from the deep. The beaching of a whale has always been a magical event. Villages trembled and were exhilarated when it happened. This is what we reconstruct. At the same time the beached whale is a gigantic metaphor for the disruption of our ecological system. People feel their bond with nature is disturbed. The game between fiction and reality reinforces this feeling of disturbance.”
The whale was the centrepiece for an artistic and educational installation, which included a mock investigation-cum-autopsy, poetry from local writer Carmen Marcus (of the wonderful project: The Catch) and art by Lizzie Lovejoy.
Local councillor Louise Westbury said she hoped the installation will “create discussion within our communities about the effects of climate change and in particular the impacts as a coastal town.”
The Whale was on the beach from the 20th-24th of May, 2022.
Sources:
North East Statues 