After the bronze, three-and-a-half ton Whale Tail sculpture on Parade Plaza got some earlier this year, it appears it has decided to reach out to residents and visitors through social media.
A personal profile for the Whale Tail appeared on Facebook earlier this month. The photo for the page is a play on Michelangelo’s “Creation of Man” painting on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, with God PhotoShopped in to reach out to touch a fin of the whale.
The sculpture, which was , claims to be about 100 years older than that, listing a birthday of May 15, 1911. It lists its education as “Johnson and Whales” (Class of 1922) with a high school diploma (Class of 2009, somehow) from Whale Branch Early College High School, located in Seabrook, S.C.
The tail’s work history is similarly varied. It claims employment as on-air talent with the and “hanging out with friends” at the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society in Los Angeles. The late musician Michael Jackson is also listed as an employer—perhaps the sculpture had something to do with that song at the end of Free Willy.
The maritime puns keep rolling elsewhere in the profile. Influences include Aquaman, favorite sports teams the Hartford Whalers, literature Moby Dick, and TV shows Whale Wars. The sculpture’s favorite movies include the New Zealand film Whale Rider but, thus far, it seems it wasn’t a fan of the 2005 film The Squid and The Whale.
Since the profile went up, it has amassed 180 friends. The sculpture’s buddies include Board of Education members Jason Catala and Ronna Stuller, City Councilor Michael Passero, mayoral hopeful Daryl Finizio, and yours truly. If you like this Plaza piece (and the occasional musical recommendation from a humpback whale) you can ask to be friends here.
