MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

South Georgia Heritage Trust unveils Memorial to 175.000 whales, … and their fantastic resurgence

Rivets on the Whale Memorial show the number of whales of each species processed on the island© Michael Visocchi

An artwork memorializing the impact of the whaling industry on marine life has been installed in South Georgia. The memorial by artist Michael Visocchiis, who was chosen through an international competition, is called Commensalis: The Spirit Tables of South Georgia. Once completed, the memorial will consist of seven circular tables made of weathered steel.

 The first part of the memorial, the Key Table, has been installed at the former Grytviken whaling station. It shows the number of whales that were processed at South Georgia, (some 175.000), and sets the context of the overall story of whale destruction.

The six Spirit Tables, which will form part two of the Whale Memorial, will be developed over time. They will represent the six different whale species that were hunted and processed at South Georgia: Blue Whale, Fin Whale, Southern Right Whale, Sei Whale, Sperm Whale and Humpback Whale.

The site of the first part of the memorial is also home to the South Georgia Museum, which is in a building that was once the station manager’s home.

The museum, which opened in 1992, explores the history of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands.

The Whale Memorial was commissioned by the South Georgia Heritage Trust, which manages the museum and was created in 2005 to preserve the island’s natural, human and cultural heritage.

Alison Neil, CEO of the South Georgia Heritage Trust, said: “As a charity that exists to help protect South Georgia’s natural environment and to preserve its cultural heritage, we hope this new Whale Memorial will provide important opportunities for a greater understanding of the island’s history as well as the possibilities for its future.

“It is a fitting memorial to an animal rather than a human, on an island where nature is in charge.”
Artist Michael Visocchi said: ‘The whaling station at Grytviken is a unique and charged location and many visitors to the island are bewildered by this site.

‘Since I began working on the Whale Memorial commission in 2020, I have made two site visits to South Georgia, in part to address unique geographical engineering challenges, but also to refine the story of the artwork. Seeing a huge pod of whales from the ship on my first journey was timely and profound, and meeting with former whalers who worked here and hearing their stories has been a life-changing experience for me.’

Alison Neil added, ‘We are delighted that part one of the Whale Memorial is now on South Georgia and are excited to see how visitors to the island react to it.

‘We hope The Key Table will act as a reminder that humanity can make or break fragile environments like South Georgia. Visitors to the island now delight in whale sightings from their cruise ships, not realizing the darker past where humans almost wiped out whales in this location.”

The six Spirit Tables, part 2 of the Whale Memorial will be developed over time, represent the six different whale species that were hunted and processed at South Georgia, and which are now returning to the southern oceans: Blue Whale, Fin Whale, Southern Right Whale, Sei Whale, Sperm Whale and Humpback Whale. The creation of this memorial shows the power of art to confront often uncomfortable histories and offer space for reflection.

The memorial is the first permanent site-specific artwork on the south Atlantic island, which was at the center of a global whaling industry that pushed whales to the brink of extinction. There were more than 175,000 whales killed in South Georgia between 1905 and 1965. More recently, following global efforts to ban commercial whaling, whales have been returning to the waters around the island.

The Whale Memorial was made in Dundee in collaboration with local fabricator MCE Engineering. The project has also been made possible through the support of many generous individual donors, as well as corporate partners including RSK Falkland Islands Ltd, Albatros Expeditions, HX Expeditions, Poseidon Expeditions, and WSP.