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A year after debut flights together in Canberra, Skywhale and Skywhalepapa are travelling nationally throughout 2022 as a National Gallery of Australia Touring Event thanks to the patronage of the Naomi Milgrom Foundation, supported by Visions of Australia.
Every heart sings is a project that talks about nature, family, evolution, care and wonder.
Created by Australian sculptor Patricia Piccinini, the giant balloon sculptures, which soar to more than seven storeys in height when inflated, will visit Maitland (January 15), Melbourne (April 2), Tamworth (April 23), Hamilton, Victoria (May 14), Ballarat (July 9) and Cairns (September 3).
The Skywhales every heart sings program is a phenomenally family-friendly program, that includes music and programming. There is also a children's book by the same name, created by Piccinini.
Audiences dress up for the occasion, knitting circles made replicas, bakeries have even made special pastries of the sculptures to celebrate them.
"Every heart sings is a project that talks about nature, family, evolution, care and wonder. They float into our lives to make us smile and think," says Piccinini, creator of Skywhale, and now also Skywhalepapa, which debuted in 2021.
The first visit of the year at Maitland, will culminate, weather-permitting, with their flight across the Maitland sky at dawn (6am) on Saturday, January 15.
The first Skywhale was launched in 2013. Audiences were so taken, they wanted to see more of the family, so Skywhalepapa was commissioned and launched last year.
National Gallery of Australia curator Elspeth Pitt puts it succinctly: Piccinini "creates communities around her".
"I think that's a really remarkable thing," Pitt says.