Due to the main character’s love for whales in the drama, Extraordinary Attorney Woo, which was a hot topic on Netflix, viewers have become quite aware of the information about whales. S o , S T a l s o l o o k e d i n t o t h e endangered species of whales in detail. I hope it will be a blue and cool time to learn more about humpback whales with the exhibition, Flying whales ..................................Ed
Did you know that Humpback whales are often called the guardian angel of the sea due to their gentle nature? In the hit show Extraordinary Attorney Woo, which recently made headlines by placing 3rd in the Netflix rankings, the main character, a lawyer named Woo Young-woo, is shown to love whales, especially humpback whales. As the main character is a whale-lover, explanations of whales and CGI (Computer-Generated Imagery) appear several times in the TV drama. Thanks to this, many fans became interested in these gentile animals in real life as well. In particular, ST would like to introduce Woo’s favorite humpback whale by the humpback whale exhibition Flying Whales, which is being held as the drama is still airing. Humpback whales feed in the ocean of polar regions in the summer, and breed in tropical waters in the winter. It is 11-16 meters long and weighs 30-40 tons. The size of them may may sound scary, yet they are gentle and intelligent animals. Humpback whales are performing whales that approach people well, and this behavior is called “breaching.” Despite their size, gentle humpback whales are called the guardian angels of the sea because they silently protect baby seals from being chased by killer whales and divers from getting lost.
The exhibition Flying Whales introduces the humpback whale, the guardian angel of the sea. It is an underwater photography e x h i b i t i o n b y t h e underwater photographer Jang Nam-won, a pioneer in the scene. In fact, he is the only humpback whale photographer in Korea. The exhibition consists of a total of six themes: Journey, Meeting, Record, Co-existence, Communion, and Sublimation. On the first basement floor, humpback whales are introduced simply under the theme of Journey. The theme of Meeting is displayed with black-and-white photos and documentary videos that focus only on the majestic gestures and forms of whales, so you can indirectly experience the grandeur of whales. [Picture 1] is a picture of a humpback whale. The photo is in black and white, as to accentuate the grandeur of the whale. Jang describes humpback whales as an island that moves quietly.
[Picture 2] shows a boat with a human on top of a huge whale. It looks like a person is standing on an island. The theme of Record is an experiential exhibition by using media art. Instead of expressing the sea where whales are active as rough waves, it is expressed as calm waves. So, you can feel as if you have entered the peaceful sea.
[Picture 3] shows waves on the ceiling with blue cloth on the ceiling. Let’s look at [Picture 4] and experience the space filled with media art, where humpback whales swim on both sides as if they were
protecting a person standing on top of them. In addition to visual experiences, you can experience background music that seems to be in the water filling the space and feeling like you are in the sea. Under the themes of coexistence and communion, it expresses the wonder of life and harmony with humans. [Picture 5] shows the mother whale’s motherhood. The mother whale uses all of its energy that was stored for six months to care for her young, and protects her young at the expense of her own body to the ferocious killer whale. [Picture 6] shows the wonderful harmony between humans and nature through the communication between divers and whales, neither considering each other prey nor threat. Under the theme of Sublimation, you can feel the energy of the whale through the appearance of the whale soaring up and flying vigorously toward the sky. [Picture 7] shows the humpback whale clearly, in all of its majesty. However, there also is the implication that this may not last, that due to environmental pollution and illegal capture the whales may one day be gone. There is a strong message that we need to pay more attention to the ocean to have the whales live on. At the entrance to the Record exhibition hall, a sentence reads: “Your dream is colored with brilliant blue like a whale soaring high in the sea, drawing the sky.” Thus, it is necessary to love the sea more for the whale that will move forward vigorously, and it is our dream to sustain such life.
Like the last message of the exhibition, the marine ecosystem, including humpback whales, is currently in crisis due to environmental pollution. In order to restore the population of humpback whales, attention and effort is needed to designate and manage them as marine protected creatures. In order to preserve the magnificent and powerful energy of the whales that can be felt in the exhibit, there must be a greater interest in preserving their environment. Through the drama, ST hopes that the interest in humpback whales and people in the marine ecosystem will continue in the long term, not just in the short term, and we can maintain such a mysterious and marvelous marine ecosystem in a pristine state.
Jun Eun-jin (ST Cub-Reporter)
eunjin0823@soongsil.ac.kr
Seo Min-ji (ST Cub-Reporter)
seomin2003@soongsil.ac.kr
