WHALE TALES 2022

Sea-lebration

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Sea-lebration is a playful celebration of Aucklanders’ connection with the sea. If we're not interacting with it daily, we are never too far from it. Intrinsically linked, we are part of the ocean environment and it is part of us. Facets of this relationship are celebrated through symbols including: recreational and commercial aquatic activities (yacht, kayak, boat); sense of community through a shared marine environment (hands, message in a bottle full of stories); Maori cultural importance (kete of kai moana and Maui's hook fishing up the North Island); and our personal connections (faces of Aucklanders, women with wave hair).

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I had such a blast painting a whale tail sculpture essentially the same height and arm span as me for the Whale Tales 2022 immersive public art trail masterminded by WWF NZ and Wild in Art, featuring 80 tails (two painted by me!) dotted across Auckland telling their tales for 12 weeks from 12 January 2022. The aim of the project is to fundraise for WWF's conservation efforts to protect and restore the Hauraki Gulf and the Bryde’s whales that call it home.

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Thanks to Sustainable Coastlines for sponsoring this design, which you can find fluking outside their flagship office in Wynyard Quarter/Silo Park until the end of April 2022.

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