Remember that amazing whale memorial sculpture I wrote about some time ago, Commensalis, that’s being created to commemorate the whaling industry in South Georgia?
Well, I’ve got a super cool update on the project!.
A small but mighty team from the South Georgia Heritage Trust and the Government of South Georgia & the South Sandwich Islands (GSGSSI) have been hard at work collecting rivets from the historic Stromness Whaling Station. These rivets are no ordinary pieces of metal; they’re a tangible link to the past, carrying the weight of history and the stories of those who once worked there. With just a four-day window of opportunity to collect the rivets, the team worked together and achieved their goal, with special permission from GSGSSI. In the photo you can see SGHT Director Deirdre, Bob and Mike from the GSGSSI Build Team and Karen, a government officer helping with collection.
The plan is to incorporate these rivets, some 3,500 of them, into the first table of the sculpture in the Whale Memorial, the Key Table, which will feature a nightingale chart of the rivets, showing the number of whales, by whale type that were slaughtered on South Georgia from 1904 to 1966. Each rivet will represent 60 whales taken from the seas around the island. It will serve as the foundation of the entire art piece, and by including these historic rivets, they’re adding a powerful symbolic element.
It’s like weaving a piece of the past into the fabric of the future.
It’s incredible to think that these rivets, once part of the very machinery that fuelled the whaling industry, will now be forever enshrined in a work of art that honours both the industry and the marine life it impacted. It celebrates the return of the whales whilst not forgetting our past – combining the ‘then and now’ is tricky, but ‘art’ in the form of these sculptures might provide a solution.
I can’t wait to see the final sculpture and imagine the stories these rivets could tell. It’s a truly inspiring project that pays tribute to the past while looking towards a more sustainable future.
Stay tuned for more updates on the progress of Commensalis, the Whale Memorial at Grytviken.
Join the Guardians: Shaping the Future of South Georgia
Becoming a Guardian of the South Georgia Heritage Trust is like joining a team of real-life superheroes protecting a piece of paradise! At least, that’s my perception. The Trust works to preserve and protect South Georgia’s unique environment and historical sites. By becoming a Guardian, you’re directly contributing to their efforts to conserve this incredible place helping to fund vital conservation projects, research initiatives, and educational programs. This includes the creation of the Commensalis sculpture, a stunning memorial to the island’s whaling history and its marine life. So, by becoming a Guardian, you’re not just donating; you’re actively shaping the future of South Georgia and supporting a truly inspiring project.
You join me as a Guardian by gifting as little as £10 a month for 12 months either for yourself or for someone else – just choose your team, whether that’s ‘Chinstrap’, ‘Gentoo’ or ‘King’ or join team ‘Albatross’ with a lifetime membership. All you need to know is HERE.
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