I often travel to see artwork when I recognise the quality and reputation of the artist or follow the gallery’s work. In this case it was the latter, I had never heard of Claudia Losi, but have a great respect for the Ikon Galleries’ work and was excited that this was an offsite commission. The piece was located in the rather affluent Mail Box in Birmingham (not somewhere I could afford to shop and had never visited before) so from New Street station I followed Thomas Heatherwick’s clever and intriguing directional signs in the pavement which showed me the way across roads, up lampposts and finally into the Mail Box. I walked through the Mailbox to the back where the car park was located.
I saw its tail fin at first, lying flat and heavy along the grey surface, disturbing the lines of the car park. The huge bulk of its soft body, made from cashmere and being a life-sized representation filled the enormity of the space. After being told I could touch the piece if I was careful, I went to give the whale a hug. Of course with the sheer scale of the piece my arms didn’t bend round but I gently gave the whale a squeeze and felt the warmth of the cashmere next to my skin.
Claudia Losi and Ikon Gallery had also worked with a local school to produce smaller plushy versions of the whale, which the children designed and then artists made. They were hung next to the main installation in a spiral, almost imitating a wave or children’s bedroom mobile.
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