Whales Singing at Dawn

A circle a metre across. Water goes into sky with no border: the horizon here is a meeting of two mediums, not a line.

“Whales Singing at Dawn”, D100 cm, mixed media. Golden rays run across the whole surface on the diagonal.

There are no whales on it. There is their presence, which is a different matter.

Whales sing deep down and the sound carries through kilometres of water. Anyone who has gone looking has heard the recordings. Science calls it communication and there is obviously more to it.

The gold sounds quiet here. It works as vibration, not as shine.

I chose the round shape for continuity. A circle has no beginning and no end, like a wave and like breathing.

A metre of diameter is awkward to hang: a circle needs an empty wall and a centre, you cannot tuck it into a corner.

Dawn is the moment when night has ended and day has not started. In minutes like that you hear what was always beside you.