Williams Museum of Art Presents 'Mocha Dick'
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass.— Williams College Museum of Art is exhibiting "Mocha Dick," a 52-foot-long, ghostly white sperm whale made out of industrial wool felt. The exhibition, created by artist Tristin Lowe, was inspired by the whale that once harassed sailing ships near Mocha Island in the South Pacific Ocean.Described as having flesh as "white as wool," that same whale was also the basis for Herman Melville’s 1851 novel "Moby Dick." On Thursday, April 8 at 4:30 p.m., the museum will host a multidisciplinary discussion focusing on Lowe’s sculpture and Melville’s novel with a variety of faculty from Williams College and the Williams-Mystic Program. The program is free and open to the public.
Sprawled across the museum’s largest gallery, Mocha Dick has the size and feel of an actual whale. Lowe achieves this effect through his use of industrial wool felt, which mimics the appearance of flesh. The wool is carefully stitched, pieced and threaded together so that these constructed seams and zippers appear as harpoon-scars and squid-besieged gashes. The wool covers an armature and inflatable device that creates the look of muscular form. Lowe also hand-attached wool-crafted barnacles to the whale’s side, which, in addition to the scars and gashes, give the whale an older, embattled aura. Lowe invites viewers to consider the magnificence of the whale, the legacy of whaling, the care of our environment, and how the epic leviathan continues to capture the imagination.
The exhibition continues the museum's year-long focus on art and landscape. "Mocha Dick" originally was shown in Philadelphia at the Fabric Workshop and Museum in May 2009. It will be on view at WCMA from March 13 through Aug. 8, 2010.
The Williams College Museum of Art is located on Route 2 . It is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 to 5 and on Sunday from 1 to 5. Admission is free and the museum is wheelchair accessible.
