The much-anticipated whale sculpture has finally arrived at its resting point at Dundee Waterfront, to the delight of onlookers.
The massive sculpture has moved from England to Dundee on Monday and spent a night at the city’s port.
Now it has been moved to the waterfront and is being installed between the V&A and Urban Beach.
Dozens of locals watched in awe as the 60-foot high whale was lifted from the water.
Shane McNicoll, from Newport, went along to see the whale with his son, Brodie.
He said: “I knew that it was coming today and saw that it had been loaded last week.
“It was made in one big piece because the artist that designed it wanted it all welded in one piece, as opposed to it coming separately and being bolted on.
“We live across in Newport so we saw it on that side of the river. My wife saw the crane when she went to work this morning.
‘Kids will love it’
“I think it looks great, it’ll be a nice addition to the waterfront. I think kids will love it as well.”
Robert Jarrett, from Dundee, has followed the whale’s journey over the weekend.
He said: “We were down just before to see it when all the fountains were open, then we came back last night and it was all fenced off, so that’s when we knew it was coming.
“We’ve been looking at the pictures and seeing it coming up the Tay.
“It looks smart, it’s nice. It fits in with some of the stuff they’ve done on the waterfront.”
Councillor Lynne Short went down to welcome the whale alongside a large crowd of locals.
She said: “I think the whale sculpture is fantastic.
“My great, great grandfather was a whaler, and it seems almost as if I’ve done the right thing by being part of the administration that’s bringing back the whale and actually giving a nod to the people who were involved in that industry.
“Like many industries, we didn’t know then what exactly they were doing and it was a necessity.
“Now we know better, that actually whales are so important to the environment.
‘So important’
“It’s something that we aren’t shying away from – we did it, but we have to make sure that they’re protected going forward.
“I think it’s a really great thing for Dundee. It fits in so well: with the lovely seats and the V&A and the shape of the whale, it’s looking fantastic.
“I hope as many people as possible come down and see it.
“It’s going to be a great interactive play area for kids to come along and play and learn and enjoy down here as much as there anybody else who’s just coming in for the weekend.”
The whale’s story
First designed by artist Lee Simmons in 2020, the whale was selected to fill the waterfront space by a panel of four judges from V&A Dundee, Abertay University, St Andrews University, and Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design.
It was then assembled by a team of twenty contractors in the English town of Littlehampton, before setting sail for Dundee on Friday night.
Now, after four days at sea, the gigantic marine mammal has been pulled from a boat on the River Tay and placed at the Waterfront.
It is the latest addition to the city council’s £1 billion Waterfront redevelopment which already includes the V&A, Urban Beach and Slessor Gardens.
The colossal artwork measures in at a whopping 60ft tall when stilts are included, and cost £134,750.