Label Text:
Collider Study #1 depicts the articulated skeletal remains of Tofu, a humpback juvenile whale that was struck by a shipping boat off the coast of New England in 2007. Its flipper extends in reach towards a red poppy in bloom. Both the remains of the whale and the symbolism of the poppy are reflective of how pain and loss can also lend to healing and continuity. When a whale passes away its remains fall to the bottom depths of the ocean and its carcass feeds an entire ecosystem. This knowledge of reciprocity and symbiosis is akin to how the whale would also traditionally feed the entire Shinnecock Nation during harsh times. Indigenous communities are often at the forefront of climate issues as the first to be impacted from rising waters, lack of quality water and access to healthy waters, and the need to protect our interspecies ecological relationships as stewards of our respective cultural landscapes.
—Courtney M. Leonard
Tags:
bones; flowers; whales; yellow; animals Subjects:
Animals; Flowers; Yellow; Canvas Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=AC+2022.22 |
