It’s a hot air balloon. But still, damn. If you happen to see magnificent creature flying around the outback this summer, do not be alarmed. Created by Patricia Piccinini–the artist behind this supremely bizarre human-animal hybrid sculpture—Skywhale looks like a giant bird-fish with droopy, bulbous breasts instead of wings. It is absolutely beautiful, and it will be flying around Australia all year.
“The skywhale may appear fantastic but think about the blue whale – an air breathing mammal that lives in the ocean – and it doesn’t seem so far-fetched,” says Piccinini. “I think that when we look up at the Skywhale and wonder what it is ‘for’, it might remind us that nature is not necessarily ‘for us’. It just ‘is.’ And we’re just lucky enough to be around to see it.”
Hard to argue with that logic. Watch some very pretty footage of Skywhale’s first flight below, and see some stills in the gallery.
