Bermuda is observing World Ocean Day on Monday, unveiling a sculpture created almost entirely from reclaimed marine debris .
Accurately scaled and constructed from marine plastics collected along Bermuda’s shoreline, the sculpture, which is affectionately called ‘Whaleen’ is a life-size representation of a nine-month-old North Atlantic Humpback Whale.
‘I’m absolutely delighted that the concept has been brilliantly brought to life by the talent of Bermudian artist Hannah Horsfield. This is wonderful sculpture and as a piece of art it deserves to be seen by visitors to Government House,’ said Governor, Andrew Murdoch, who conceived of the idea. ‘But its creation was always intended to be more than just art. Its creation required collaboration from organisations across the island, and it sends a powerful message on the need to work together to protect the ocean – turning waste into advocacy for change,’ Murdoch added.
The Governor said that the sculpture highlights Bermudian artistic talent.
‘It highlights family and community spirit in those that came together to design, build, collect materials, transport and install Whaleen. It highlights the incredible nature off our coast in the form of the iconic humpback whale. And it highlights the threat posed to our ocean from marine plastics, and the damage plastics do to the environment.’
Murdoch acknowledged that while he conceived of the idea, it was brought to life during a conversation with Bermudian artist Horsfield in December 2025.
She is the programmes educator at the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute (BUEI) and the sculpture design grew to 20ft in length – the largest sculpture Hannah had ever made.
Each item of ocean plastic debris was carefully sorted by size, colour, and material type in preparation for construction. The metal framework was built with reclaimed PVC pipe and blue barrels being added to create the familiar shape.
Hundreds of flattened marine plastic fragments were then secured to create the sculpture’s outer skin. The sculpture incorporates more than 1,000 individual plastic items collected from Bermuda’s shores, including: 78 octopus traps, 45 oil jugs, 63 flip-flops, 39 white jugs and bottles, 14 large waste and oil containers, 13 plastic crates, one large fishing net, and one discarded mooring rope forming the whale’s mouth.
During his official visit to Bermuda in May, King Charles III was able to view the sculpture, meeting with Hannah Horsfield, who was joined by Youth Climate Summit students and local primary school students working to complete the sculpture in time for World Ocean Day.
The project was made possible by sponsorship from Convex given its alignment with their Seascape Survey project aims with participation also from several other entities, including from Keep Bermuda Beautiful, Nonsuch Expeditions, the Commonwealth Clean Oceans Plastics Campaign in Bermuda, and WhalesBermuda.
‘I have been working to raise awareness about marine plastic pollution for nearly a decade. As a teenager, I began collecting plastic from Bermuda’s shorelines, later writing my Environmental Science thesis on the issue of plastic pollution in Bermuda and creating art installations from recovered marine debris,’ said Horsfield.
‘I am deeply honoured to have been invited to create Whaleen for Bermuda, and incredibly grateful to the many individuals and organisations whose collaboration brought this vision to life. My hope is that the sculpture inspires viewers to reflect on the impact of plastic pollution and motivates them to help protect our marine environment and the remarkable marine mammals that depend on it,’ she added.