How a Gray Whale Moved Down Broad Street

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How a Gray Whale Moved Down Broad Street

POSTED: Monday, March 29, 2010, 9:34 PM

Filed Under: Arts Arts Events

Courtesy of UArts

Church's whale

Through the month of April, people strolling down the Avenue of the Arts will be greeted with a curious site: three beached gray whales. Growing out of a gravel lot next to the Broad Street Ministry (315 S. Broad St.), the whales have ribcages of chicken wire and fence posts. Visiting University of the Arts artist Shay Church has been constructing the large-scale installation pieces for 10 days and on Sun., March 28th, he invited community members and students to coat the whales in clay. Despite the chilly temperatures and occasional drizzle, around 30 participants answered Church's call for volunteers. Wearing paint-stained clothes and ponchos, the mix of UArts students and locals severed off chunks of clay from larger blocks and attacked the whales' hulking frames from all sides. The three whales range from 35 to 55 feet, but the volunteers' combined efforts were able to coat the creatures within about six hours. The whales' skins were textured by fingerprints and the clay is expected to evolve: hardening, baking and cracking over time. "With my art, I want to build community and do community projects," Church said as he lent a clay-covered hand to a whale. While he is typically found in Virginia Commonwealth University's Craft and Material Studies department, Church has traveled across the U.S. erecting large-scale whales and elephants as part of his "Wet Clay Installation" series. But why whales and elephants? "I'm interested in relationships in nature and considering the effects of the absence of one part of the ecosystem," Church says. You can see a time lapse video of another gray whale creation on Church's site. The gray whale installation coincides with the beginning of the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts, coming to Philadelphia March 31 to April 3. Director of the University's residency MFA program in Ceramics Joe Girandola hopes this is the first of many site-specific installations. But for now, the whales will be on display for the next two to three weeks.

Shay Church's Gray Whales, Reception Broad Street Ministry, 315 S. Broad St. The reception will be held on Thu., April 1 from 2-6 p.m.

Jeffrey

Posted 2010-04-01 14:19:57

Such lovely beasts. I posted some more photos of them here: http://bit.ly/bvGLdV

Posted by Emily Currier @ 9:34 PM Permalink | Post a comment

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