The Zurich organisers and the Belgian artist group are behind this campaign. The whale was brought to Zurich to set an example of marine conservation.
Deceptively real from a distance: the “sperm whales” at Utoquai.
A sperm whale has been lying on the shore of the lake near Zurich’s Utoquai since Monday morning. About 16 meters long and smelly. People in white protective suits have set up a makeshift laboratory. Some spray the whale with a hose at regular intervals. They also take samples, make measurements and film the carcass. When they pulled out one of the animal’s teeth, red liquid began to flow from its mouth.
A barrier has been set up and spectators stand behind it and take pictures. Everyone is wondering how the 16-metre-long behemoth could have gotten there. And whether it is even real. Staff from the “International Whale Association” – as it says on the logo on the protective suit – provide information in English.
You are not making a completely serious attempt at an explanation: a sperm whale that swam up the Rhine and went through all the locks into Lake Zurich? Or perhaps a very rare freshwater whale? Perhaps the whale belonged to some Russian oligarch who eventually raised it and released it into the lake. At this point it becomes clear that this must surely be an action of environmental activists.
artist collective captain boomer
Late in the morning, the Zurich-based marine conservation association Kima announced its participation in the action on social networks. In collaboration with the Belgian artist group Captain Boomer and the Zurich Theaterspektkalle, it said on Instagram that the whale was brought to Zurich to set an example for marine conservation.
The Belgian artist group Captain Boomer has stranded “whales” in several cities around the world, most recently in Adelaide, Australia, last March. On Friday, a dummy whale was checked in at Basel customs, and according to a report by “20 Minutes,” it was later spotted on a low-loader in Kloten.
One member of the group sprays the “sperm whale”.
The group writes on its website that whale stranding has always been a magical event. “When it happened, the villages trembled and were thrilled. This is what we are rebuilding.” At the same time, the stranded whale is a huge metaphor for the disruption of our ecosystem. “People are feeling that their connection with nature has been broken. The play between fantasy and reality reinforces this sense of disruption.
Marine biologist Sylvia Frey of Kiama is quoted as saying in a statement about the theatre spectacle: “The installation symbolically shows that Switzerland must do its part to protect the ocean – because despite sewage treatment plants, the chemicals and microplastics we use end up in and with the rivers until
In addition, Switzerland is also contributing to global warming, which has a negative impact on the oceans and their inhabitants.
The “stranded whales” will remain in Utoquai until Wednesday evening, according to the release.