SOUTH GEORGIA AND IT’S WHALES NEED YOU NOW crowdfunder
Conservation charity the South Georgia Heritage Trust (SGHT) has launched a new crowdfunding campaign: ‘South Georgia and its whales need you now’. It is designed to make the world’s most remote permanent art installationa reality and help fund vital research into global whale conservation and environmental management.
The art installation, Commensalis: The Spirit Tables of South Georgia, is the work of Scottish sculptor Michael Visocchi who won an international competition for his design. It will stand proud at Grytviken, an abandoned yet atmospheric former whaling on the sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia, a small British Overseas Territory that lies over 1,500 km southeast of the Falkland Islands.
To make this artwork a reality, SGHT is now calling on members of the public to help. ‘South Georgia and its whales need you now’ allows anyone to play their part, by donating whatever amount they can afford via: www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/south-georgia-whales/
A humpback whale in the Southern Ocean. Credit Gabriel Sizzi on Unsplash
South Georgia has been described as the ‘Serengeti of the Southern Ocean’ due to its incredible abundance of iconic wildlife.
This small island was also once the epicentre of the southern whaling industry but now is an ecosystem in recovery in large part thanks to herculean conservation efforts by many stakeholders, including SGHT, US-based affiliate charity Friends of South Georgia Island and project partners Albatros Expeditions and engineering firm WSP.
Commensalis will tell the remarkable story of this recovery, particularly focusing on South Georgia’s whales, from commemorating the loss of 175,000 individuals and the near extinction of several species by the 1960s, to their renaissance over the last decade.
Commensalis will serve as a powerful reminder that despite the catastrophic losses once experienced on South Georgia, ecological restoration is possible, and nature can heal when given the chance.
As well as helping fund this extraordinary artwork, exclusive rewards, including behind-the-scenes audio content from Michael Visocchi’s recent visits to South Georgia will be available to those who donate, offering a rare insight into this project, the artistic process and challenges of working on such a remote island.
10% of all donations via this campaign will also contribute to a new whale research fund, and once Commensalis is installed visitors will be encouraged to donate directly to this fund too.
At the heart of Commensalis are seven immense weathering steel circular tables. The Key Table depicts the numbers of whales that were processed at South Georgia, with the six Spirit Tables each representing a species of whale that were once hunted and whose numbers are now recovering thanks to decades-long conservation and environmental management.
The Spirit Tables are punctuated by c.17,000 stainless steel rivets in mesmerising patterns, with each symbolising a live whale or the spirit of a whale. Light will bounce off each one, illuminating the space and conveying a feeling of hope that is reflected in the growing numbers of whales in the waters around South Georgia.
WSP is generously supporting SGHT and Michael Visocchi by overseeing the complex task of transporting the artwork to the remote island and installing it.
The installation will be designed to withstand South Georgia’s extreme climate, ensuring that it remains in place for generations to come.
Artist Michael Visocchi was selected from over 150 international artists to take on this project in late 2020. Since then, Michael has worked closely with SGHT and WSP to finalise plans for the installation which has included two awe-inspiring visits to South Georgia to see the island for himself, and to engage with and understand the landscape, climatic conditions, and wider surroundings.
Michael Visocchi said: “South Georgia is a truly magnificent and magical place. Seeing its landscape and abundant wildlife was truly breath taking and feeling the island’s atmosphere was an experience like no other I’ve ever had.
“I feel hugely privileged to be the one creating Commensalis, which will undoubtably be both the most challenging yet most rewarding artwork of my career. I hope visitors respond to my vision and take with them a deeper understanding of this important story of global conservation”.
Alison Neil, CEO of the South Georgia Heritage Trust said: “Michael’s art installation will enrich the on-island experience of all who visit and will seamlessly tell the extraordinary story of South Georgia’s dark past to becoming a global beacon of hope as an ecosystem in recovery.
“Commensalis will enable visitors to dive more deeply into the island’s whaling heritage, which despite being a catastrophe for the island’s wildlife does form part of South Georgia’s history. We hope that with the help of the public Commensalis will soon be ready for the world to see.”
Humpback whales, southern elephant seals, vast colonies of king penguins and an array of seabirds all call South Georgia home, and have been showcased on major natural history documentaries including Frozen Planet, Blue Planet and Planet Earth. The island is also known for being the burial place of world-famous explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton.
SGHT has been working to conserve South Georgia’s natural and cultural heritage since 2005, which includes running the South Georgia Museum on behalf of the Government of South Georgia & the South Sandwich Islands (GSGSSI).
The small charity has delivered many successful on-island projects including the world’s largest rodent eradication project, which successfully removed invasive rodents which had almost pushed native birds to extinction.
South Georgia was declared ‘rodent free’ in 2018, thanks to the decade-long Habitat Restoration Project. SGHT now continues to work with the GSGSSI to ensure strict biosecurity procedures are enforced so that South Georgia’s10-15,000 annual visitors don’t inadvertently undo this amazing feat.
To support Commensalis and global whale conservation, visit www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/south-georgia-whales/ and to find out more about South Georgia, visit www.sght.org
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