Nice, France Wyland Whaling Wall 18

History of the Nice, France Wyland Whaling Wall 18

-Sperm Whales of the Mediterranean

Whaling wall 18

Wyland’s goal was to paint 100 murals as gifts to the people of cities worldwide led him next to Europe, where he painted an 11-story building in Nice, France. The painting portrays a mother sperm whale and her baby diving through the Mediterranean’s clear blue waters, with the French Riviera’s cities in the background. The contrast evoked the growing impacts of urbanization on ecosystems that had beenmthriving for eons. “You didn’t need to be a scientist to see the writing on the wall,” Wyland said. “The Mediterranean was struggling under pollution, development, and overfishing. Like everything we did in those days, the mural opened up a dialogue about the fragile nature of the ocean. That, despite its size, it not only could be impacted by people, but the tremendous changes around it were fundamentally altering it.

Did you know?

• During the time Whaling Wall 18 was being painted, the European Union had launched a range of significant initiatives that figured prominently in the future protection of the Mediterranean’s biodiversity
• Although whaling declined in the 1980s, sperm whales suffered a new problem in the Mediterranean. With ship traffic increasing, more and more animals were facing threats from ship strikes. These problems and increased pollution and fishing gear entanglements severely threatened local populations.
• In the subsequent years, the Wyland Foundation created the World Water Pledge in collaboration with the United Nations Environment Program as a unique initiative to identify critical water issues around the world affecting the health not only of the Mediterranean, but critical areas upstream, where 80% of most pollution issues begin

Nice, France
42 Feet Long x 120 Feet High
Dedicated October 1989
By French Government Official

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