Vancouver's digital killer whale and its symbolism (10 photos + 1 video)

A giant killer whale made of pixelated cubes is frozen in an eternal dive in a Vancouver square.





Like something out of the movie Pixels, the masterpiece and creation of Canadian writer, designer, and visual artist Douglas Coupland, Digital Orca looks like it jumped straight out of a video game. Or maybe a giant Lego set.



Copeland is better known as a writer than a sculptor. But that doesn't make the orca any less bizarre. The statue was installed in 2009 for an art project at the Vancouver Convention Centre. Copeland created the whale to commemorate the harbour's history with this common species found off the west coast - the orca. Given Copeland's penchant for exploring technology in his fiction, it's fitting that he would incorporate technology into his work, even when creating a work that focuses on the natural world.





Since the whale is located on the seashore, its base had to be made of durable aluminum and covered with a protective powder coating. Although it is strong enough to withstand the coastal weather, climbing on the sculpture is prohibited.



The landowners, Pavco, wanted this pixelated Free Willy to represent a specific area. And while the sculpture does its job well, it also represents Copeland's vision for life in our digital age.





Douglas Copeland



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