Whale Watching, 2017, approximately 15’ x 10’ x 3’, mixed media installation (felt, ripstop, sandbags, fans)

Cadkin’s installation, Whale Watching, is made up of two life-size baby whales; 14 – 16 feet each, constructed using ripstop and felt fabric. A key element to her installation is that it possesses a “life cycle.” Fans set on timers fill the sculptures with air, lifting them up from the floor as if rising from the ocean. When the timers switch off, the pieces gradually deflate. Although the animated whales are whimsical, they also possess a haunting quality. Whale Watching is informed by a 2009 news report of a juvenile grey whale that died, its carcass trapped under a pier in San Francisco.