PROJECTS: Whale in Love

NAME: Whale in Love 

Material: 15 tons of plastic waste from the Ocean, steel  

LOCATION: Kaohsiung, Taiwan 

SIZE: 18m high, 18m wide (fin to fin), 12m diameter 

SCOPE: Public Art, Installation 

STATUS: Completed 

Client: City of Kaohsiung, Taiwan 

Event Organizer: New Aspect Promotion Corporation 

Engineering Partner: Archasia 

Fabrication Partner: New Value Construction  

Photographs: Adam Lai 

"Whale in Love is a physical example of why we need to change how we use and dispose of plastic in the world today" -Lesley Chang, Principal, STUDIOKCA 

DESCRIPTION: 

15 tons of recycled plastic waste, collected through the effort of the citizens of Kaohsiung and turned into a 7 story tall whale breaching from Kaohsiung’s historic Love River- a reminder of the 150,000,000 tons of plastic waste still swimming in our waters, and one country’s determination to make sure this problem doesn’t stay hidden and ignored… 

Working with the city of Kaohsiung, home to Taiwan’s largest port, and a team of local engineers, fabricators, and volunteers, StudioKCA set about turning 15 tons of collected plastic pulled from oceans and waterways by local groups into the largest environmental sculpture ever created in Taiwan, the 7 story tall, 1:1 scale whale called “Whale in Love”  

Scientists estimate there are 150 million tons of plastic waste in the ocean right now, with an estimated 8 million tons added every year. That means, pound for pound, there is more plastic waste from our cities swimming in the ocean than there are whales… 

“A whale is the largest animal in the water, and to see a life-sized whale made from plastic waste, breaching from the water towards the shoreline seemed like a good way to call attention to the problem of plastic in our oceans.” –Jason Klimoski, Principal, Studiokca