Skywhale delights Melbourne viewers
Art very occasionally engenders a cult following, but Patricia Piccinini’s Skywhale has something akin to art groupies.
Twitter is littered with “selfies” and sightings of the enormous hot air balloon, a mystical flying whale with 10 mammories that hang down.
On Monday, at her first scheduled Melbourne outing, one “Skywhalian” arrived wearing paper mâché hats with condoms made to look like breasts, others came from Sydney to see her.
Artist Patricia Pinccinini with her Skywhale hovering above the ACCA forecourt, marking one of the art-beast’s rare public appearances. Photo: Michael Clayton-Jones
Piccinini also knows of handmade embroidered patches, pies, cakes, toys, posters and sculptures all made in Skywhale’s likeness.
“She has quite a big family and they come to see her when she comes out,” Piccinini said on Tuesday.
“It is great that people have taken this work and then used it for their own creative endeavours. I am thrilled about that,” she said.
Skywhale’s first outing at the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art was abandoned on Monday due to Melbourne’s windy weather, but on Tuesday she made her first tethered rise from the ground.
“It is a work that I think is a very hopeful one, and one that brings a lot of joy into people’s lives – as balloons do – they just float in and out of our people’s lives,” Piccinini said.
She described the work as based on evolution. A natural creature that was totally artificial.
“I chose a whale because whales were originally land dwelling creatures and they went back into the sea and they became enormous and intelligent,” Piccinini said.
“They live in really difficult environments, deep into the sea, and they breathe and they breast feed their babies and I thought to myself, if whales could go back into the sea, they could have easily gone into the air.
“I don’t imagine that this could be a real creature, but it is a sign that says we are surrounded by nature,” she said.
Up close on Tuesday, Skywhale had a gentle, animal-like tendency to lilt slightly at the head. Her eyes have a little glint, just as other animals do.
The work was created for Canberra’s centenary celebrations at a cost of $300,000. Engineered in Bristol, the “special shape” balloon is an engineering feat, the balloon’s owner, Global Ballooning director Kiff Saunders said.
“I am amazed it can fly, really,” Mr Saunders said.
Hot air fills the body, but cold air is required to ensure the mammary glands hang as they are intended. When she comes down and the hot air-cold air ratio changes, the glands often flail up, creating a funny sight, Mr Saunders said.
He said Melburnians would see Skywhale in the sky on the next perfect flying morning.
Retirees Sue and Peter Duras could see Skywhale from their Southbank apartment and were taken with her.
Mr Duras said the Skywhale’s curves and voluptuousness made a beautiful contrast to the sharp lines of ACCA and the surrounding skyscrapers.
“It reminds me a little bit of Canberra, large and cumbersome and not terribly useful,” Mrs Duras quipped.
via – The Age.