A new public art installation that pays homage to majestic sea animals debuts in September outside the New England Aquarium. Crafted by artist Jean-Marie Appriou from molded driftwood and old railroad ties and cast in aluminum, Whale Song represents the historical, mythological and future ways that whales impact our lives. Celebrate the opening of Whale Song—which will be on display in Central Wharf Plaza through August 2025—on Saturday, Sept. 18, with the artist and curator.
Whale Song comprises three sculptures: Hommage, A Long Journey and The Gate of the Whales. “Jean-Marie presents us with beautiful imagery of whales in the form of a gate, a vessel and a guardian, reminding us of their majesty and their power to evoke our imagination,” curator Pedro Alonzo said in a press release.
Hommage, representing the “historical whale,” speaks to the reckoning of past misuse of natural resources, imagining a future that respects and preserves the natural world. The second work, A Long Journey, represents the “mythological whale” that came before humankind and symbolizes the fact that every living being comes from the sea. The third piece, The Gate of the Whales, is made up of representations of different species of whales and serves as a portal into a whale’s perception.
Siting the art installation at Central Wharf is deliberate. The plaza is adjacent to the Rose Kennedy Greenway as well as the aquarium, where scientists and staff have been researching and caring for marine animals for more than 50 years.
Whale Song is the fifth public art installation in Central Wharf Park, all curated by Alonzo in collaboration with Now + There. Previous years brought Graft (2023) by Edra Soto, Five Marble Leaves (2022) by Claudia Comte, To Each Era Its Art. To Art, Its Freedom (2020) by Jose Davila, and Growth Rings (2019) by Oscar Tuazon.
The public is invited to join Appriou and Alonzo at an opening celebration for Whale Song on Saturday, Sept. 18, from 4–6pm.
