News / Green Capital 2015
New home for Bristol Whales
The giant wicker whales created for Bristol’s year as European Green Capital have found a permanent home in a nature reserve alongside the Portway.
Drivers commuting in and out of the city centre from Shirehampton and Avonmouth will have their daily grind brightened up by the life-size sculptures.
Designed and built by Cod Steaks and funded by Arts Council England, The whales are made from Somerset willow and depict the head of a humpback whale and the tail of a blue whale.
The sculptures were installed in Millennium Square for six weeks during the summer of 2015 where they were surrounded by a sea of 70,000 plastic bottles.
Inspired by the Bristol Whales, local campaigning organisation City to Sea secured Green Capital funding for Refill Bristol, which has established a network of 170 refill stations around the city offering free drinking water to anyone with a refillable bottle.
After a brief absence, the whales have now resurfaced near Sea Mills and taken up permanent residence at Bennett’s Patch and White’s Paddock Nature Reserve – also known as the ‘people’s nature reserve’ – which was created by Avon Wildlife Trust during 2015.
Artist and creator Sue Lipscombe said the whales project had a profound effect. “For me personally, it’s made a big difference to my life. It’s made me think and really look hard at my life and business and the way I create and deal with waste.”
She added: “This is a piece we are all particularly proud of and we are delighted people can see it here permanently. Hopefully it will continue to get people thinking.”
Read more: What’s next for Bristol’s Green Capital?
Our newsletters emailed directly to you
