You may remember last summer that the harbourside was home to two spectacular whale sculptures for several weeks….and we are delighted to hear that they’re back! The sculptures have resurfaced at Bennett’s Patch and White’s Paddock Nature reserve near to Sea Mills where they will now take up permanent residence.
Designed by Cod Steaks and funded by Arts Council England, the Bristol Whales are made from willow harvested locally in Somerset and they depict the head of a humpback and tail of a blue whale. Originally surrounded by a “sea” of plastic bottles, the whales were created to convey an important message about the fragility of our oceans and the increasing difficulties they face from plastic pollution (the sea was made from 70,000 plastic bottles that were upcycled from the Bath half marathon and the Bristol 10k run last year).
Whales were chosen as they have become symbols of the ocean across the world and they represent not only resilience but also the potential for recovery. Bristol also has a whaling history which dates back to around the 18th century so the location is particularly fitting for them too.
The project took a total of 14 weeks to complete and a total of 43,200 rods of steamed willow (6ft each in length) were used in the creation of the wicker head and tail which now weigh a combined total of 6 tonnes!
The nature reserve is open to everybody and both sculptures really are a fantastic sight to behold. The weather looks like it’s going to hold out for the weekend so perhaps we’ll see you all there!