New Whale Memorial to be unveiled in Dundee before heading to South Georgia island
The sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia was once the epicentre of the modern whaling industry, until it ended in 1965. Today, it stands as a powerful reminder of the devastating impact of what was then an essential global industry.
In recent years, the island has been celebrated by Sir David Attenborough as an ecosystem in recovery, showing nature’s extraordinary ability to heal, with whales making an inspiring return to its now protected waters.
To ensure that the world always remembers how close we came to whales going extinct in the seas around South Georgia, in 2020 the South Georgia Heritage Trust commissioned Scottish artist Michael Visocchi RSA to create a major new Whale Memorial for the island.
The Memorial commemorates the 175,000 whales lost in South Georgia between 1905 and 1965, while celebrating the return of these majestic creatures to the island’s waters. Part one of this Memorial is now set to be on display in Scotland - home to many of the former whalers and their families, and where the artwork is being produced. It will be on show at Dundee’s Waterfront from the evening of Thursday 26th June to Sunday 29th June.
Called Commensalis: The Spirit Tables of South Georgia, at the heart of Visocchi’s artwork is a collection of seven monumental rust–hued circular tables made of weathering steel.
Visitors will have the opportunity to see the first of the seven tables - The Key Table - which shows the numbers of whales that were processed at South Georgia and sets the context of the overall story of whale destruction around the island. The other six Spirit Tables, which will be developed over time, represent the six different whale species that were hunted and processed at South Georgia, and which are now returning to the southern oceans: Blue Whale, Fin Whale, Southern Right Whale, Sei Whale, Sperm Whale and Humpback Whale. The creation of this memorial shows the power of art to confront often uncomfortable histories and offer space for reflection.
Michael Visocchi said: “The title of the new Whale Memorial is Commensalis, which is a word derived from the biological term commensal, defining a biological relationship where two species benefit from one another and where neither species suffer. My artwork focuses on the commensal relationship between whales and the whale barnacle but on a deeper level, I hope, the need for humans to live side by side with nature.
“Since I began working on the Whale Memorial commission in 2020, I have made two site visits to South Georgia, in part to address unique geographical engineering challenges, but also to shape the story of the artwork. Seeing a huge pod of whales on my first visit couldn’t have been more powerful, and being involved in workshops with former whalers who were based there and hearing their stories has been a life-changing experience for me and really helped me shape my original concept for the Memorial.
“Over 15,000 people visit the former whaling station at Grytviken every year with many not understanding what took place on the site they are standing in. Using art as a touchpoint for telling the scale of what took place there but also the hope and resurgence that is now South Georgia’s story has been a privilege to be part of. I am also delighted that people will be able to see it in Dundee this summer before it starts its epic journey to the island.”
This memorial sculpture has been made in Dundee, in collaboration with local fabricator MCE Engineering. Michael chose weathering steel as it reflects the site in which the sculpture will sit – a rust-hued steel industrial area in Grytviken Whaling Station where the whales were processed. Each of the whales lost will be represented by rivets that were part of that industrial past and have been collected from South Georgia. These form the basis of the ‘key’ – showing the numbers of different whale species that were taken as part of this industry. Once installed it will be the first permanent site-specific artwork on the island, a cultural milestone for South Georgia and the southern hemisphere.
Alison Neil, CEO of the South Georgia Heritage Trust said:“We are delighted that part one of the Whale Memorial will be on display in Dundee for people in the UK to see before it starts its journey south to the island.
“Once installed on the island, the Key Table will act as a reminder that humanity can make or break fragile environments like South Georgia. Visitors to the island now delight in whale sightings from their cruise ships, not realising the darker past where we almost wiped out whales in this location. It will be a fitting memorial to an animal rather than a human, on an island where nature is in charge. As a charity that exists to help protect South Georgia’s natural environment and to preserve its cultural heritage, we hope this new Whale Memorial will provide important opportunities for a greater understanding of the island’s history as well as the possibilities for its future.”
The Whale Memorial is being unveiled on the evening of Thursday 26th June on Dundee’s Waterfront ahead of a three-day festival celebrating whales, polar exploration, and Scotland’s deep-rooted connections to the sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia. The free ‘Whale of a Weekend’ festival, which runs from Thursday 26 to Sunday 29 June, will bring Dundee’s waterfront to life with not only the Whale Memorial but interactive exhibitions, family-friendly activities, and exclusive talks from world-renowned explorers and scientists.
There will be the opportunity to book onto talks and tours of the Whale Memorial with Michael Visocchi over the weekend. There will also be a special event at V&A Dundee on Friday 27 June when Michael will be in conversation with Jen Jackson of the British Antarctic Survey and former whaler John Alexander when they discuss ‘Why public art in a sub-Antarctic oasis?’ This work joins a growing field of creating art in public spaces that addresses environmental and ecological issues such as Olafur Eliasson’s Ice Watch to Agnès Dénes - Tree Mountain, A Living Time Capsule, and this talk will touch on some of the developments in this field.
There will also be the opportunity to explore the Whalers’ Memory Bank, where people can find out more about life at the whaling in South Georgia. This brand-new living, growing digital time capsule will launch on Friday 27 June and will tell the story of modern whaling (between 1904-1965) in the Southern Hemisphere. It looks at whaling through the lens of the time rather than with hindsight, as it is something we simply can’t imagine with whale preservation a cornerstone of worldwide conservation efforts today.
To find out more about the Whale of a Weekend events visit www.sght.org/woaw