The Whale, 2017
The project was intended to draw attention to progressive climate change and the problem of the devastation of our planet’s natural ecosystems and biodiversity.
The Whale is a sculpture by the Belgian collective Captain Boomer. It was brought to Warsaw by the PRZEKRÓJ Foundation with the aim of raising awareness about how our society and the way we live is affecting the environment.
The sight of a huge sperm whale lying on a riverbank in the city center caused a great spectacle. Actors were invited to play the role of scientists investigating the beached mammal. People came from far and wide to see it as speculation grew about how it ended up there.
Though the whale is an obvious metaphor for ecological disaster around the world, it also served as a medium to observe people’s reactions to death. Those gathered around the whale began to speculate, worry, try to help, or ask questions. A dead whale speaks to everyone, no matter their religion or cultural background.
A puzzle from the depths, the project shows how close we are to the ecological tragedy for which we bear responsibility. It asks: what else has to happen for us to finally take care of our Earth?
The Przekrój Whale Issue
On the morning of December 8, 2017, the whale was seen not only on the sandy Vistula riverbank but also on the cover of the winter edition of the quarterly, Przekrój. In the issue, we spoke to the members of the Captain Boomer collective who created the giant sculpture. We also explained how whales communicate and we published an excerpt from a 1953 book about a fight between the huge mammal and a cephalopod.
