Saturday 19 July 2014

Wild Dolphins, part one

We have been on a big mission during this stay in Aberdeen, searching for dolphins! Aberdeen is currently hosting the Wild Dolphins project.

The Wild Dolphins project consists of a total of 50 life-size fiberglass sculptures of bottlenose dolphins are placed all over town. We downloaded the app, which has enabled us to track the dolphins and "scan" them as we have found them.
The artists designing them have taken inspiration from many different areas, like the sea and the nature, the history and traditions of Aberdeen and much more; and they are placed in many different kind of locations all over Aberdeen. They will all be auctioned off for charity at the end of August.

We've been on different dolphin expeditions nearly every day, and so far we have spotted 41 of them.  Here are a few, which one do you like best?

Bubbles. The artist wanted to portray a diverse range of images which comes to mind when thinking of Aberdeen and the surrounding areas.


Spot the Dolphin. The Leopard magazine is celebrating its 40th anniversary in print and this dolphin was made using copies of the Leopard from all four decades.


Aegir. This dolphin is named after the Norse sea god, to reflect the Viking routes that are so closely linked to the North Sea and it's many treasures. This was placed at the railway station.


Adeona. This sculpture is engrossed with maps that literally and metaphorically illustrate the effect of migration of people and more particularly the animals that leave our shores from the harbour mouth.


The Octopus Within. All is not necessarily what it seems. We all have an inner world, and this design is a humorous and more literal take on what the inner world of a dolphin might look like. Here we are down at the Beach Promenade, in the strong winds.


The Great Wave at Aberdeen. The artist was inspired by the iconic print 'The Great Wave at Kanawaga' by Hokusai.


Harlequin. Inspired by the playful nature of the dolphins, Harlequin represents the energy, humour and spectacle of these amazing creatures and their ability to entertain as they swim and play in the wild waters around Scotland.


Orion. The artist was inspired by her love for painting and sketching sky environments. She wanted to give this motif the feel of peering into someone's sketchbook.


Northern Lights. "The Northern Lights of old Aberdeen, mean home sweet home to me"... etc... This one was placed at the Pittodrie Stadium.


Skipper. Skipper is inspired by the boats and their crews who find fish in the North Sea.


Reddy. Sometimes a pirate can be a negative character, but if you match it with a dolphin - it straight away become a positive one!


Creels, Crans & Currachs. Historically, baskets were an everyday necessity in the fishing industry of Aberdeen for both catching and selling fish. We saw this one while having lunch at Dobbies Garden Centre.


Amo la Vida. This sculpture reflects the dolphin's playful, sociable and happy nature. The artist was inspired by her love of anything Spanish as well as different textures and bright colours.


Rocky. This celebrates how geological knowledge can help with our understanding of our sentient cousins. This was one of my favourites, it was placed in the Rubislaw Terrace Gardens.


An Unquenched Defiance to the Stars. Inspiration has been taken from Delphinus, the constellation of the dolphin; a depiction also of hopes and dreams, and wishes upon stars for a better world. Placed at the Chester Hotel.


All the information has been taken from the website of this project: wilddolphins.org.uk. I will post more photos later. 

1 comment:

  1. Artig prosjekt - nå tror jeg jeg har sett alle - og enda er lappeteppet delfinen min absolutte favoritt:D

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