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In his studio, an old schoolroom in the Scottish Highlands, sculptor Michael Visocchi is working on Commensalis, a huge work that will be installed thousands of miles away, in Grytviken, an abandoned whaling station on the sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia. From 1904 to 1966 thousands of whales were slaughtered and butchered here. Whaling ships brought rats, which predated the seabirds, driving species to near- extinction. But now, with whaling ended and the rats eradicated, whales are returning, seal and bird populations are recovering. South Georgia is an ecology in recovery.

Whaling ships and equipment were taken to Grytviken and harboured there. Now it looks like an industrial scrapyard; ships rust on the shore, huge tanks decay behind. Millions of leftover rivets remain.

Visocchi was struck by the similarity of shape of these rivets and the bumps of the barnacles on the bodies of living whales. The barnacles exist in a relationship between individuals of two species in which one obtains benefits from the other without either harming or benefiting the latter. This is known as commensalism, and gives Visocchi’s installation its name. Commensalis will comprise large steel ‘tables’ which echo the shape and rust colour of the
oil tanks. The tables, one for each species of whale that was taken, are dotted with patterns of polished rivets that represent the slaughtered whales.

We hear recordings Visocchi made on two visits to the remote island, the first for inspiration, the second to work out how to create and install the work among the seals and penguins. In his studio and a fabrication workshop so many miles away he talks to presenter Julian May as he works on this project which is challenging in so many ways – theoretically, technically, in time (three years so far) and even morally. South Georgia has no permanent population,
so is a public artwork appropriate? South Georgia has been sullied by people going there and leaving stuff behind. Isn’t, actually, Visocchi doing the same?

Presenter and Producer: Julian May