whaling – The NEN – North Edinburgh News

Help make the world’s most remote permanent art installation a reality

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

Scottish whaling memories captured in new project

Creation of new digital platform to provide a space to share this important part of Scottish social history

Over the next two years, the South Georgia Heritage Trust and the South Georgia Museum, with funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, will be working alongside a number of former whaling communities in Scotland to create The Whalers’ Memory Bank.

The Memory Bank will create a living, growing digital time capsule where veterans of the whaling industry, their families and communities can come together to contribute and share their stories with a wider audience.

The story of modern whaling in the Southern Hemisphere is a controversial one with British companies playing a key role in the industry. These companies had a largely Scottish workforce and attracted many working-class men with the promise of adventure and competitive wages.

Now, only a dwindling number of men survive that have first-hand memories of this industry, an integral part of Scottish social history. They are the last generation to be able to share their stories, knowledge and personal collections before they are lost forever.

Kicking off in July 2023, the project will run for two years and throughout this time the project team will work alongside former whaling communities to capture memories that will help create The Whalers’ Memory Bank.

At the heart of this will be a series of community events to gather stories and help shape the Memory Bank that those communities want to see and will value. It will also make the connection between why whaling happened, where it happened (a great deal of it on South Georgia), and where most of the whalers came from in Scotland.

Jayne Pierce, Project Director and Curator at the South Georgia Museum said: “Our aim is to create a digital portal that captures memories with photographs, oral histories, film and sounds, alongside a Virtual Reality tour of the whaling station on South Georgia. This work will be done using the existing collections held by the South Georgia Museum and will also link into several Scottish museums that are partners in this project.

“It is really going to be a joint effort, bringing together the former whalers and their communities to hear their stories and let them help shape the Memory Bank they really want to see. We know from the contact we already have with the former whaling communities that families are eager to share their personal collections – artefacts and photographs stored in attics, cupboards and drawers – each with a story to tell.

“We really hope the project will connect communities across local, national and international boundaries and dispel some of the myths around whaling. It will create a richer experience than a simple online database – dynamic rather than static – uplifting and celebratory.”

Gibbie Fraser, Chair of the Shetland ex-Whalers Association (SeA) hasstruggled to access archive material which can be restricted by charges and copyright. On the launch of the Whalers’ Memory Bank, he said: “The idea that the South Georgia Museum has about a shared archive to preserve what we can together is exactly what we were trying to do and welcome it with open arms!”

Caroline Clark, Heritage Fund Director for Scotland, said: “Thanks to the support of National Lottery players , we are pleased to be able to give funding to former whaling communities to capture their stories and explore this important untold story.

“We look forward to seeing the project develop as communities come together to share their memories and personal collections with each other and the wider world.”

The project is also a great opportunity to work with a small network of partner museums including the Scottish Fisheries Museum in Anstruther, the Scottish Maritime Museum in Irvine, and Dundee Heritage Trust’s Verdant Works, all of which hold hidden whaling archives and collections that are enlightening, inspiring, and engaging.

As well as supporting with access to collections and stories, some of these organisations will also be involved in the community events the project will be developing for Spring 2024. The Shetland Maritime Heritage Society, Salvesen Ex-Whalers Club and the Shetland ex-Whalers Association will also be collaborating on the project.

Anyone interested in finding out more or getting involved with the project should email memorybank@sght.org

Be a part of the creation of the world’s most remote art installation

Fundraising campaign launched for landmark artwork that will inspire the world with South Georgia’s remarkable recovery and fund vital whale research

An international fundraising campaign has begun, giving people across the globe an opportunity to sponsor part of the world’s most remote permanent art installation which will raise awareness of the whale’s story on South Georgia, and fund vital research into future threats such as climate change.

The campaign, run by conservation charity the South Georgia Heritage Trust (SGHT), follows their international competition seeking an artist to create an installation telling the incredible story of South Georgia’s remarkable environmental recovery. Now, people worldwide are invited to sponsor a key component of the artwork in a bid to spread this message of hope.

In November 2020 Scottish artist Michael Visocchi was announced winner of SGHT’s competition with Commensalis: The Spirit Tables of South Georgia. The artwork commemorates the loss, but also celebrates the recovery, of whales in the Southern Ocean.

From the early 1900s to the 1960s South Georgia was the epicentre of the whaling industry but more recently has become a beacon of hope as an ecosystem in recovery.

Michael Visocchi’s sculpture changes the narrative on South Georgia from whaling to whales – creating a focal point for everyone who cares about nature and supporting vital research to protect the future of whales in the Southern Ocean.

At the heart of his artwork are the Spirit Tables representing the different whale species that were hunted and processed at Grytviken, an abandoned whaling station on the island, but which are now recovering thanks to a change in humanity’s attitude to nature and the decades-long, research-led conservation activities and environmental management of this precious ecosystem.

The tables are punctuated by an estimated 17,000 stainless steel rivets in various mesmerizing patterns inspired by the natural histories of each species, with each rivet symbolising a live whale or the spirit of a live whale.

The artist’s design will allow light to 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.

The fundraising campaign will give people the opportunity to sponsor these gleaming rivets to light a beacon of hope for whales, conservation and ecological restoration everywhere.

Different levels of support are available to allow as many people as possible to support what’s been dubbed the world’s most remote permanent art installation:

£33 to sponsor a small rivet because the returning humpback whales’ beautiful and complex songs last up to 33 minutes – we’re so thankful to hear these melodies again in the bays of South Georgia.
£90 for a medium rivet because the fin whale has an average lifespan of 90 years – to see these long living giants returning to the island after being the most persecuted species during the whaling era is incredibly inspiring.
£199 to support a large rivet because the world’s largest whale, the blue whale, can weigh up to a staggering 199 tons – that’s equivalent to 398 Grand Pianos!

To sponsor a rivet or to find out more, visit: www.sght.org/commensalis-donor-appeal/

Sponsors will be allocated their very own rivet(s) in the artwork and sent a digital certificate confirming their support of Commensalis. The rivet(s) will be an integral part of the artwork, giving people a rare opportunity to leave a legacy and have a permanent presence on South Georgia.

Alison Neil, CEO of the South Georgia Heritage Trust said: ‘Tragically, from 1905 to 1965 whales were hunted to near extinction at South Georgia. Thankfully, they are now slowly returning to the island’s waters thanks to ongoing conservation efforts.

“We want to tell this remarkable story of recovery to inspire people around the world that there’s always opportunity for environmental turnaround. South Georgia is the evidence that we have the power to change other under-pressure ecosystems.

“Art is a really powerful way of conveying a complex message and getting people interested and involved in conservation. By launching this campaign we hope to get people excited about Michael’s beautiful artwork and also the power of collective action to bring about change in our environment. We think sponsoring a rivet on the Spirit Tables embodies what this project is all about.’

Artist Michael Visocchi, who was selected from over 150 artists to take on this project, has just arrived at South Georgia to visit the site at Grytviken where the whaling station was and where his artwork will be.

He is with childhood schoolfriend Stewart Garden from WSP, an engineering firm which is generously supporting SGHT with the complex task of transporting and installing the artwork to ensure it is resilient to South Georgia’s extreme climate and remains in place for generations to come.

Michael Visocchi said: ‘I’m so very thrilled to be back on South Georgia. The sights and colours and sounds have never really left my mind since my first visit. It’s good to be back.

“The majesty of the landscape and wildlife here continues to catch me off guard and it’s all helping me put the final touches to the concept for Commensalis. And to be here with my old best friend is something I never could have imagined.’

Commensalis will encourage the environmental management of South Georgia by raising funds for whale research. 10% of every rivet sponsorship will directly fund research, helping to anticipate and manage threats to South Georgia’s whales like rising sea temperatures and the impact on the marine ecosystem.

By deepening knowledge and informing environmental management at South Georgia, SGHT will set whales on their road to recovery.

SGHT aims to work with all who wish to preserve the island’s natural and historical heritage for future generations – to redress past damage to its environment, to protect its wildlife now and in the future, and to preserve the human heritage of the island which so clearly shows the best and worst of humanity.

It also runs the South Georgia Museum on behalf of the Government of South Georgia & the South Sandwich Islands.

The island is famed for its iconic wildlife, including humpback whales, southern elephant seals, vast colonies of king penguins and an array of seabirds, and for its links with world-famous explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton who is buried on the island.

Each year about 10-15,000 people visit South Georgia to admire the island’s stunning scenery and burgeoning wildlife, and to learn about its fascinating heritage. Commensalis will be a new addition for visitors when it is installed.

To find out more about South Georgia and the work of the South Georgia Heritage Trust, visit https://sght.org, and to find out more about the South Georgia Museum, visit https://sgmuseum.gs

Historic former whaling building opens for first time

The original Main Store on the subantarctic island of South Georgia has opened to visitors for the very first time, after almost five years of sympathetic restoration and curation by the Government of South Georgia & the South Sandwich Islands (GSGSSI) and a UK charity, the South Georgia Heritage Trust (SGHT).

This small but significant British Overseas Territory, which lies in the Southern Ocean over 1,500km east of the Falkland Islands, was at the centre of the whaling industry but is now famed for its remarkable environmental recovery.

The Main Store is at the heart of the island’s principal settlement of Grytviken, an abandoned yet atmospheric former whaling station which ceased operations in the 1960s after decades of whaling.

Built in c.1920, the Main Store is one of the few remaining original structures to survive at the site, and the restoration of this important historic building now adds another layer to the rich cultural heritage that is being preserved on the island.

Between 1904 – 1965 over 175,000 whales were processed across South Georgia. For the whalers the hours were long, the work unpleasant and the weather harsh. But despite the island’s dark past, GSGSSI and SGHT are working to ensure that South Georgia’s human story is told.

Alongside the South Georgia Museum, which is owned by GSGSSI and managed by SGHT, the preservation and reopening of the Main Store mean that the 10-15,000 annual international visitors to South Georgia will get a rare insight into what life was like during the height of the whaling era in the mid-20^th century.

There are lots of never-before-seen objects in the Main Store that visitors will be able see for the first time, including harpoon grenades, bone saws, blubber hooks and flensing knives, all essential tools used by whalers throughout the hunting and production process. There’s also thousands of rivets, nuts, bolts, pipes and steam pumps used to maintain and repair the factory, boilers, vessels and machinery.

Visitors can also see a mysterious small ceramic figure named ‘Nisse’, whose provenance and age is unknown. A firm favourite with the team on South Georgia and visitors alike, he’s the unofficial guardian of the Main Store, keeping a watchful eye when the team leaves over winter.

During the restoration every heritage item was retained, cleaned, and photographed and any modern items removed. The catalogue is available to view in the South Georgia Museum.

Jayne Pierce, SGHT Curator of the South Georgia Museum says: “The Main Store is one of the oldest and largest buildings to survive at Grytviken.

“Given South Georgia’s remote location it played an essential role in storing the many supplies needed to keep the whaling station and its fleet of vessels running, including feeding and supporting the many men that formed the whaling crews, which was a huge undertaking.

Laura Sinclair-Willis, CEO of GSGSSI explains: “The Main Store is central to South Georgia’s intriguing history, and thanks to the support of a team of experts, it is now an accessible time capsule capable of receiving visitors, as well as an important part of the work we are doing to explain the rich cultural history of the island.

“Following a Condition Survey and Structural Report of the Main Store that was published in 2018, our Heritage Build Team, SGHT’s Museum Curator and an Advisory Panel of heritage experts worked over the summer seasons between 2018 – 2023 to remediate the building’s structure.

“This included repainting the entire exterior, removing modern equipment and materials, installing electrical wiring and period lighting fixtures, and replacing windows, giving us the fully accessible building we have today.”

Iconic wildlife from humpback whales and southern elephant seals, to vast colonies of king penguins and an array of seabirds call South Georgia and the Southern Ocean home. South Georgia is celebrated for its remarkable environmental recovery following several Habitat Restoration projects run by both GSGSSI and SGHT.

GSGSSI removed reindeer that had been deliberately introduced to the island by the whalers as a source of fresh meat and sport, and SGHT ran a successful decade-long rodent eradication project to tackle invasive mice and rats, which came over in whaling vessels and decimated local seabird populations.

Now the island is a rare example of an ecosystem in recovery. South Georgia is also famous for its links with world-famous explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton who is buried at Grytviken.

The restoration of the island’s Main Store would not have been possible without the generous support of the many organisations and friends with a close affinity to South Georgia. These include Øyas Venner (The Norwegian Friends of South Georgia), t;he Hurtigruten Foundation, the Friends of South Georgia Island, the British Antarctic Survey and the Headley Trust.

To find out more about South Georgia, the work of its government and of SGHT, visit www.gov.gs and https://sght.org.

PICTURES: South Georgia Heritage Trust

All female team travels to South Georgia to reopen the world’s most remote museum

Shackleton’s original ‘Crow’s Nest’ will also return to South Georgia for the first time since 1922, to be displayed at the South Georgia Museum

A small, all-female team, many of whom have strong Scottish connections, has arrived on South Georgia, after an 8,000-mile journey to reach the small but significant British Overseas Territory in the Southern Ocean.

Together the team are reopening what is arguably the world’s most remote museum, the South Georgia Museum at Grytviken (the island’s only settlement), which will be fully open for the first time following its closure in March 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Lauren Elliott, Helen Balfour, and Aoife McKenna approaching South Georgia (L) and Deirdre Mitchell, Jayne Pierce, Helen Balfour, Aoife McKenna, and Lauren Elliott taking part in a seasonal tradition of erecting the South Georgia and museum flags on the flagpole outside the museum, where they remain until the end of the season (R).

Credit = South Georgia Heritage Trust.

The team is from the South Georgia Heritage Trust (SGHT), a Dundee-based charity that has been working to conserve South Georgia’s fragile ecosystem and heritage since 2005 and which runs the museum on behalf of the Government of South Georgia & the South Sandwich Islands.

Deirdre Mitchell, the new South Georgia Director from Dunfermline; new Museum Assistant Helen Balfour from Lerwick, Shetland Islands; and Aoife McKenna, a recent graduate from St Andrew’s University who is the new Curatorial Intern, make up the Scottish contingent.

The all-female team is completed by Curator Jayne Pierce from Bath, and Senior Museum Assistant Lauren Elliott from Portsmouth. The team will be opening the doors of this amazing museum for the expected 15,000 visitors who will be coming to the island during this season.

Deirdre Mitchell, South Georgia Director from SGHT says: “As a Scot, I’m particularly fascinated by the many Scottish connections with South Georgia’s whaling history and how we seem to be drawn to this remote island.

“I also can’t wait to be surrounded by the island’s incredible wildlife and landscape once again, and to share this amazing place with visitors from across the world so they can find out more about the island’s remarkable wildlife and heritage.”

Deirdre was born in Dunfermline, studied at the University of St Andrews, and before leaving for South Georgia lived in Inverness.

Having already spent time on the island as a former Curatorial Intern at the South Georgia Museum, Deirdre knows South Georgia – its history, successes, and current challenges – intimately.

She now returns as SGHT’s South Georgia Director to manage the charity’s activities at Grytviken.

South Georgia’s Museum Assistant Helen Balfour hails from the Shetland Islands. Her family history is synonymous with South Georgia, as both her grandfathers and one great-grandfather were whalers at the island in the 1950s and 1930srespectively.

Helen’s grandfather James Balfour first visited South Georgia in 1952, and after a decade of whaling was on board one of the last whale catcher vessels that worked out of Leith Harbour.

Her other grandfather Alan Leask started whaling as a 16-year-old and did two seasons, as did her great-grandfather Thomas Balfour twenty years before. Thomas had previously worked at a Salvesen whaling station closer to home at Olna, Shetland.

Helen will be following in their footsteps, as the now abandoned Grytviken whaling station is where the South Georgia Museum now stands.

Visitors to South Georgia this season will also be able to see Shackleton’s original ‘Crow’s Nest’, a lookout barrel from his fourth and final voyage The Shackleton-Rowett Antarctic Expedition, also known as The Quest Expedition.

The Crow’s Nest is one of the last vestiges from Quest and will be the centrepiece of the South Georgia Museum’s current exhibition ‘Shackleton’s Last Quest’, which was launched to mark the centenary of Quest leaving London for South Georgia in 1921. The ‘Shackleton’s Last Quest’ Exhibition is also available to all online on the South Georgia Museum website: https://sgmuseum.gs/shackletonslastquest/

This will be the first time the Crow’s Nest has been on South Georgia since the expedition ship was there in 1922. To follow the journey of the Crow’s Nest, visit https://sgmuseum.gs/the-quest-crows-nest-route/

South Georgia is famed for its iconic wildlife, including humpback whales, southern elephant seals, vast colonies of king penguins and an array of seabirds, and for its links with world-famous explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton who is buried on the island.

The new season (October – March) will bring visitors back to South Georgia to admire the island’s stunning scenery and burgeoning wildlife, and to learn about its fascinating heritage. It is expected to be the busiest season ever as tourism recovers and the world slowly opens after the pandemic.

To find out more about South Georgia and the work of the South Georgia Heritage Trust, visit https://sght.org, and to find out more about the South Georgia Museum, visit https://sgmuseum.gs

International arts competition launched to tell the story of whales on South Georgia

A major international artistic competition centred at Grytviken Whaling Station on the sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia has been launched to reimagine the centrepiece of its cultural heritage and in doing so, highlight powerful conservation messages for the future of our planet. Continue reading International arts competition launched to tell the story of whales on South Georgia

Letters: Whaling memorial for Leith Links?

Dear Editor

I was re-running some old photographs of Leith Harbour in South Georgia in my head. Most of the pictures were of sailors having fun sledging, but there was one with a view out over the fiord and you could make out the superstructure of two catchers tied up at the dock.

I remember dad telling me that the catchers has their own dock, and how a lot of attention was given over to their servicing during the off-season. In the picture they looked small, around eighty feet or so and in remarkably good condition considering that whaling ended for the Scottish company Salvesen so many years ago.

Driving flat out into a storm chasing down a whale in such a small boat must have been quite a ride, not to say dangerous, although much more so for the whale.

Maybe they should bring one of these catchers back to Edinburgh and park it in the Meadows of Leith Links as a reminder of when men fished for whales.

Sadly whaling still goes on, when will we ever learn?

Walter Hamilton

by email

Whaling Days: tenant shares memories of Leith’s bygone industry

A Port of Leith Housing Association (PoLHA) sheltered housing tenant has shared memories of her father working as a whaler in a book about this long-lost industry. Continue reading Whaling Days: tenant shares memories of Leith’s bygone industry