{"id":359761,"date":"2026-03-26T20:31:14","date_gmt":"2026-03-26T20:31:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/359761\/"},"modified":"2026-03-26T20:31:14","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T20:31:14","slug":"balloon-geometry-shapes-a-whale-like-landmark-in-zhanjiang","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/359761\/","title":{"rendered":"balloon geometry shapes a whale-like landmark in zhanjiang"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>ferdi b dick expands large-scale sculpture series across china<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"199\" data-end=\"574\">South African <a href=\"https:\/\/www.designboom.com\/tag\/sculpture\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">sculptor<\/a> Ferdi B Dick has installed a nine-metre-tall, mirror-polished whale sculpture along the waterfront of Zhanjiang International Riverside, a newly developed coastal CBD in southern <a href=\"https:\/\/www.designboom.com\/tag\/chinese-art\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">China<\/a>. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.designboom.com\/tag\/public-art\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">public artwork<\/a> forms part of the district\u2019s broader urban expansion, acting as a visual anchor within the evolving skyline.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"199\" data-end=\"574\">\u00a0<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"576\" data-end=\"947\">Positioned within the rapidly developing district, the sculpture contributes to placemaking efforts in the area. Its scale and clarity establish it as a landmark, offering both residents and visitors a recognizable point of reference along the waterfront. The whale is deliberately stylised into a simplified, balloon-like form, offering a clear gesture that resonates across distance while engaging viewers up close.<\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" bad-src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" alt=\"9 metre stainless steel whale sculpture installed in zhanjiang china by ferdi b dick 4\" width=\"818\" height=\"613\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/9-metre-stainless-steel-whale-sculpture-installed-in-zhanjiang-china-by-ferdi-b-dick-4-69c3742eb5cdf.jpeg\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\" lazyload\"\/><br \/>the sculpture in relationship to the surrounding pedestrian square | all images courtesy of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/ferdibdick\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Ferdi B Dick<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Embrace the amazing whale anchors zhanjiang development<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The sculpture\u2019s reflective stainless steel surface actively draws its surroundings into the work. Sky, water, and cityscape continuously shift across the mirrored form, turning the whale into a dynamic interface between object and environment. This material choice by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/ferdibdick\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">the artist<\/a> reinforces its coastal context while amplifying its visual impact.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1809\" data-end=\"2114\">The whale is part of an ongoing series of monumental public works the artist has completed in China since 2021. These include a five-metre Ox in Taiyuan, three large Tiger Astronaut sculptures, and a seven-metre inflatable Hehe Rabbit, all exploring inflated forms and high-finish surfaces at urban scale.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" bad-src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" alt=\"9 metre stainless steel whale sculpture installed in zhanjiang china by ferdi b dick 1\" width=\"818\" height=\"1227\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/9-metre-stainless-steel-whale-sculpture-installed-in-zhanjiang-china-by-ferdi-b-dick-1-69c3742eb5bdf.jpeg\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\" lazyload\"\/><br \/>the sculpture\u2019s sweeping body and clustered base read like a stylized surge of motion<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>computational design meets traditional casting for public art<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2200\" data-end=\"2578\">Based in Kuala Lumpur, Ferdi B Dick began his career as a 3D animator in Cape Town before transitioning into sculpture. His process merges digital and physical techniques: forms are developed using software such as Houdini and ZBrush before being fabricated through methods including lost-wax casting. Materials across his works range from stainless steel to crystal and marble. Final works are realized through a combination of classical lost-wax casting techniques and contemporary materials, including stainless steel, crystal, and marble.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" bad-src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" alt=\"9 metre stainless steel whale sculpture installed in zhanjiang china by ferdi b dick 2\" width=\"818\" height=\"1227\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/9-metre-stainless-steel-whale-sculpture-installed-in-zhanjiang-china-by-ferdi-b-dick-2-69c3742eb5c55.jpeg\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\" lazyload\"\/><br \/>a frontal view emphasizes the whale\u2019s streamlined head and flowing vertical lines<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" bad-src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" alt=\"9 metre stainless steel whale sculpture installed in zhanjiang china by ferdi b dick 3\" width=\"818\" height=\"545\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/9-metre-stainless-steel-whale-sculpture-installed-in-zhanjiang-china-by-ferdi-b-dick-3-69c3742eb5c9f.jpeg\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\" lazyload\"\/><br \/>detail view of the whale\u2019s nose and flowing ridges<\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"ferdi b dick expands large-scale sculpture series across china \u00a0 South African sculptor Ferdi B Dick has installed&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":359762,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[437,434,435,436,135493,438,146,85,46,5252,2584],"class_list":{"0":"post-359761","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arts-and-design","8":"tag-arts","9":"tag-arts-and-design","10":"tag-artsanddesign","11":"tag-artsdesign","12":"tag-chinese-art","13":"tag-design","14":"tag-entertainment","15":"tag-il","16":"tag-israel","17":"tag-public-art","18":"tag-sculpture"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/359761","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=359761"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/359761\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/359762"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=359761"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=359761"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=359761"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}