This work consists of 140 ceramic tiles. There is a tile representing each Southern Resident killer whale. Every whale is individually sculpted and has their name, pod, and scientific ID number, and is painted with accurate dorsal markings. There are also tiles with text about the ecology, natural history, and threats to these whales, as well as some biographical information about some of their lives. There are also blank tiles with only the cerulean colour they are glazed in. The whales are assembled across the surface of the work according to the family groups that they swim with in the real-world. The viewer sees the entire Southern Resident population swimming over the ocean.

I made this work to raise awareness among residents of Vancouver and beyond that these individuals are our neighbours. They live complex, emotional lives with their families, and they have been doing so for countless generations. There are currently 75 individuals left in this unique subspecies, and the time is now to take actions to care for them, or else face a future without them.

For me, thinking about them out there, living their lives in matrilineal, non-material societies, gives me a feeling of peace when life in this city overwhelms me. But of course they bare the brunt of our hyper-consumer lives. I try to convey all this with these tiles.

I update the tiles with the births and deaths in the population, and I will keep doing so for the rest of my life. Hopefully we can watch them grow and thrive.