UKC

A whale hanging from Flying Buttress at Stanage...now what is that all about? Alan James joined biology lecturer Dave Clay and others to assemble something striking at Stanage, and pause for a little contemplation about how connected we all are. 

Surely Windgather is the natural environment of a pilot whale skeleton?

Although I'm willing to concede that pilots have been known to take flyers from Flying Buttress, I can't help feeling that a blue whale carcass would be more fitting for the queen of grit.

Brilliant! Would have loved to have seen this 'in the flesh' so to speak

Bloody topropers ...

I know it's art, but I'm still not sure what the porpoise of this was.

When we set it up we were worried about social distancing but it was soon pointed out that the rules were different for Whales.

I'll get my coat.

Alan

Next on his tick-list is Right Unconquerable, as there's a move at the top of that with his name on it.

I'm not cetacean on this.

“It was recently dead and very smelly, so he took it home and buried it in his garden for two years.“

I feel so is doing a lot of heavy lifting here!

So many questions...!

If you happen across a decaying whale in the outer Hebrides is it fine just to put it in your van and bring it back to South Yorkshire?

If you do bring a decaying whale from the Hebrides to South Yorkshire how do you fit in your car or van?

How do you clean out said car or van after you've had a decaying whale in it for presumably many hours?

Just how big is Dave's garden that he can bury a whale in it?

Do you have to inform the local council if you bury a whale in your back garden?

How long does a semi decayed whale need in a Sheffield back garden in order to fully decay to a skeleton?

Does rotting whale work as good fertilizer?

Did Dave grow veggies over it whilst it was rotting?

What grade is the route that Alan is on in the pictures?

Does it lose and E point if you can jump for a suspended whale skeleton if you fluff the crux?

As I said, just so many questions!

He didn't have to travel that far.

Call Me Ishmael (VIII 9)

Totally rediculous.

Excellent. We saw Dave and his whale skeleton some months ago when we cycled past Blonk Street bridge, and had a lovely chat with him. 

That's a little different. Can you imagine the discussion though - "it's a little bit low on the left - up a bit, down a bit - good. No, on second thoughts I wanted it facing left (it's not a right whale after all)."

How's no one asked if they had a whale of a time?
Maybe it's too late for the joke, wouldn't want to bring the skeletons out the closet.

(please don't ban me)

I suggested 'Whale has a Whale of a Time at Stanage' as a headline and I nearly got fired

I believe it was transported in a vw Golf, not the van. Cosy!

completely unrelated but I happened upon a dead donkey on a beach on Skye a few years ago. Don’t know where it came from or what caused it’s demise but I have to say, dragging it up the Cioch was the last thing i thought to do! 

Whale oil beef hooked!

Had to double check I hadn't slept right through too April when I read this over breakfast.

Still don't know what to believe 🤔.

I'll point Dave at this thread. It had occurred to me that the car journey must have been very smelly.

Goodbye Toulouse (E1 5b) although I stopped before the crux and reversed after the photos since it was damp and effin' freezing.

Alan

Are there any pictures or stories about his other installations?  It would be great if you could post a link at the end of the article if there are.

Once it's migrated from stanage I bet the chap who lives at 44.52225, 1.67817 would be keen to have it, he's this type of interesting too.

If you go and install it please try and get climbing access in the deal....I never had a whale skeleton to bargain with...😜

So no whale skeleton points of aid? I'm slightly disappointed!

I can assure you that skeleton aid points would have bumped the E-grade up significantly!

Forgive me if I'm a philistine but how does hanging a whale off Stanage illustrate how interconnected we are? I know we all evolved from common ancestors without seeing this. Is the skeleton still there?

Reminds me of a joke that I remember finding bad even aged 10 or so:

How do you get 2 whales in a Mini? 

Along the M4... 

I thought this was a UKsea post, when I first saw it.

Buoy, I'm glad you didn't get fired.

I think the whole backstory is a hoax. Basically someone nearby activated an Infinite Improbability Drive and turned some poor punter into a Pilot Whale.

I can't be the only one who thinks this is really quite odd? Somebody finds a dead whale, takes it home, buries it in the garden for 2 years before hanging the skeleton from stanage to tell us that we are all interconnected?! I don't think they shouldn't have done it, it's not doing any harm to anyone and I'm not having a go at the artist, but it is a bit unusual isn't it? Or am I just a bumpkin with no appreciation of art?

Looks like Michael bloody Palin getting in the video.

On a more serious note, my next installation with be a several tied off plastic baggies of dogger left dangling in the breeze under the Quietus overhang.

This will be a metaphor for the interconnectivity of humanity and the collective impact of our individual actions on each other and the planet. Might try and forage a few human turds from round the boulders to augment the piece.

Jesus H Christ!

Is this what I pay my subscription for?

From what I sei you're quite right to get the hump.

No, totally with you on this.

Just trying to imagine the angst, uproar & fury if this hadn't been climbers or god forbid, a bunch of chavs strolling up to Stanage & carrying out this stunt, UKC would have had a meltdown I'm guessing?

As for the interconnected connection, way over my head, but then again art wasn't my strongest subject way back when I attended school.

Curiously, I was in southern Oman last year doing a biggish new climb for a tv thing with Steve Backshall and we found a stash of whale bones on an overhung terrace part way up the cliff, which itself was some 500m in altitude and quite a few km distant from the sea. So perhaps whales and climbable rocks aren't so disconnected after all!

Wasn't this part of the world home of the legendary Roc? They could have flown the whales up.

Has this been on TV yet? I enjoyed the expedition to the tepui a few years back so would be keen to see this.

Cheers

The large stretch of grass in front of the Berlin Reichstag used to be used only for dog walking and picnicking, before the Reichstag got its dome and the government moved from  Bonn to Berlin. It was covered in dog turds, and one morning shortly after the start of the first Iraq War each and every heap sported a tiny US flag on a cocktail stick. Best installation I've ever seen. 

I think it has, yes. But I can't help with broadcast schedules I'm afraid. Hazel Findlay was with us too, and it was a fun trip.

I'm sure it will be on again at some stage.

Is this video part of a series? Is this a Pilot episode?

Thanks John

I've found it on UK TV play if anyone is interested.

This is so British! Some people go and do something which is totally eccentric but at the end of the day it's all just a bit of a laugh and no harm is done. We need more things like this, especially in this difficult year...

I think we need more Chris Morris.

Yes sorry about that, something went wrong getting my ass beach ready for summer

So I've blubbered more than a whale on FBD

Is that the hole story?

How long is it there for? 
Hoping to go for a wander and see it next week..

It was there for about 2 hours. We took it down again afterwards.

Alan

A bit gimmicky and a poor choice for location.

Glad I didn't see it.

(Mr DC, please report to the head!)

Excellent end to this story - https://www.museums-sheffield.org.uk/support-us/make-friends-with-museums-s...

Alan