Willow Whale Sculpture Celebrates U.K. City's Environmental Commitment
Bristol's dramatic willow whale sculpture is made largely of recycled plastic bottles.
Courtesy of Cod Steaks
In English folklore, willow trees are often sinister — remember J.K. Rowling’s Whomping Willow in the Harry Potter series, or J.R.R. Tolkien’s Old Man Willow in The Lord of the Rings? But last July in Bristol, England, the willow’s pliant branches were used to create a statue of two whales, which honors Bristol being named the 2015 European Green Capital and draws attention to the problem of plastic in the ocean.
Designed by Bristol-based company Cod Steaks, Bristol Whales was originally meant to be life-size. When that was deemed impractical, Sue Lipscombe, Cod Steaks managing director, altered the original design to include parts of the animal — a 33-foot head and a 49-foot tail — and show them in a more natural and dynamic position. “I also wanted to make it out of a sustainable material from a local supplier, so I chose willow,” says Lipscombe. To drive home the message about marine plastic, 70,000 water bottles were used in the piece. “We collected bottles from running races [and used them] to sculpt the sea,” Lipscombe says. The wood will eventually decay, but the plastic will remain (and be recycled).
During the statue’s construction, Bristol schools ran workshops to teach kids about the hazards of single-use plastics, and the public was asked to swap plastic bottles for reusable ones.
The sculpture weighs in at 6 tons. “Creating such a large piece of sculpture was always going to be a challenge,” says Lipscombe. Weather was a factor: “The team working outside for several months was either getting soaked or roasted in the sun.” But the hard work has been well worth it. “The finished sculpture has captured the imagination of its audience with its sheer scale. Whales are such incredible animals, and this sculpture had to be evocative to make its point.”
Lipscombe’s team had a bit of fun too. “We incorporated a blowhole, which is timed just long enough to make you jump. You can hear children screaming from miles away when it blows,” she says.