- Title: Fake beached whale confuses Brussels locals
- Date: 4th October 2019
- Summary: BRUSSELS, BELGIUM (OCTOBER 4, 2019) (REUTERS) SPERM WHALE INSTALLATION ON QUAYSIDE IN PORT OF BRUSSELS ARTIST WORKING ON TOP OF WHALE INSTALLATION ARTISTS WORKING ON WHALE INSTALLATION CANAL IN PORT OF BRUSSELS / ARTISTS SPRAYING WATER ON WHALE INSTALLATION ARTIST MEASURING TEETH OF FAKE WHALE WHALE INSTALLATION BEHIND FAKE TEST TUBES OF BLOOD FREELANCE ACTOR, POL PAUWELS AND HIS CHILDREN JAGO, AGED 8, AND OMER, AGED 7, WALKING PAST WHALE INSTALLATION PAUWELS AND HIS CHILDREN LOOKING AT WHALE INSTALLATION (SOUNDBITE) (Dutch) FREELANCE ACTOR, POL PAUWELS, SAYING: "At first they thought it was a real whale, because we met someone in our neighbourhood who said that a whale had jumped out of the canal. He said "You have to go and see it" and showed a picture. So that's why we came to see." ARTISTS IN COSTUME ARTISTS AND ONLOOKERS STANDING NEXT TO WHALE INSTALLATION (SOUNDBITE) (French) PASSER-BY, ANOURRI EHMAD, SAYING: "It's really well done, yes, very well." PASSER-BY, ANOURRI EHMAD, FILMING WHALE INSTALLATION (SOUNDBITE) (French) PASSER-BY, ANOURRI EHMAD, SAYING: "At first I thought it was a fake one (whale). After I looked at it closely and I thought perhaps it's a real one (whale)." QUAYSIDE SITE OF WHALE INSTALLATION WHALE INSTALLATION AND ARTISTS NEXT TO CARAVAN
- Embargoed: 18th October 2019 16:50
- Keywords: Political Whale Art Beached Global Warming Port of Brussels Sperm Whale Climate Change Belgium
- Location: BRUSSELS, BELGIUM
- City: BRUSSELS, BELGIUM
- Country: Belgium
- Topics: Arts / Culture / Entertainment
- Reuters ID: LVA001AZONN15
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: A sculpture of a beached sperm whale on the docks of Brussels caused confusion among residents on Friday (October 4), with some wondering if the mammal was real and how it had arrived there.
The whale sculpture was washed by artists in costumes with hose-pipes whilst their colleagues took notes and blood samples, dressed in 'International Whale Association' uniform costumes. The collective of artists, called Captain Boomer, pretended to keep the whale alive and pushed onlookers away to avoid frightening the animal.
The artists want the installation to symbolise the destruction of the world's marine ecosystems by global warming. It has already been shown in Paris, Madrid, and London.
"At first they thought it was a real whale," said Pol Pauwels, 55, who brought his two sons to see the sculpture. Another passer-by, Anourri Ehmad, said it was really well done and that he had a hard time knowing if it was real or not.
The installation is part of the international 'White Night' program, an annual all-night art event. This year's Brussels edition, the 17th, is dedicated to interrogating the impact of humans on their environment.
(Production Bart Biesemans, Jorrit Donner-Wittkopf) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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