"The MBL’s Waterfront Park in Woods Hole was enhanced this week with the installation of “Flukes,” a cast-bronze sculpture generously donated to the MBL by the artist, Gordon Gund of Princeton, New Jersey.
The sculpture was inspired by an encounter Gund had with pilot whales one summer on Nantucket Island. A pod of whales had come ashore and while scientists attempted to redirect the pod, Gund had the opportunity to touch one whale’s tail. “Flukes,” he says, "is an abstract form that is meant to be enjoyed visually and by touch (I assume the sign "Please Stay Off The Sculpture" does not prohibit you from touching it.) . It is meant to be what the eyes and hands take it to be, especially, in part, as a symbol of joyful anticipation.' Source: Marine Biological Library - Woods Hole