Scarness sculpture takes shape for conference

Bamboo of various shapes and sizes has been cut and fitted on a steel whale fin shaped frame

TAKING SHAPE: Artists Seb Guy, Leticia Pujol, Juan Pablo Pinto and Mercurio Alvarado getting the bamboo whale sculpture together for the upcoming World Whale Conference. Picture: Cody Fox

INTERNATIONAL artists, members of the community and a unique building material have combined to start work on a fitting tribute to a Hervey Bay icon.

Bamboo pieces have been cut and fitted on a steel whale fin-shaped frame, officially starting construction on the Bay's newest whale sculpture.

The public artwork will take pride of place on the Scarness foreshore, marking the Whale City's hosting of the World Whale Conference in October.

Hervey Bay artist Leticia Pujol joined interstate artists to get the sculpture started.

"I think it's brilliant we have these artists here, and using a renewable resource like bamboo to sculpt a whale mother's tail fin and her calf," Ms Pujol said.

Leticia said having the sculpture located on the Scarness foreshore would help the public to see how important it was to preserve the environment.

"One of the major themes of living on the Fraser Coast is tourism and conservation - we have to preserve Mother Earth and protect it," she said.

International artist and creative director of Cave Urban - the art collective behind the sculpture - Juan Pablo Pinto said a lot of hard work would go into putting the sculpture together.

"We are tackling the difficult part first of the whale tail," he said.

"Its dimensions are big and we have to bend the material to fit the shape to work on."

The sculpture will be unveiled between October 7-12.