A 36-METRE whale sculpture has begun a major voyage.

The art piece, which was created in Littlehampton, set sail down the River Adur on Thursday evening.

The whale, created by award-winning artist Lee Simmons, will travel eastwards around the UK to Dundee Waterfront.

The Argus: 36-metre whale sculpture begins four-day voyage. Credit: Eddie Mitchell 36-metre whale sculpture begins four-day voyage. Credit: Eddie Mitchell

Once arrived, the whale will stay as a canopy and prominent piece of art at the new waterfront interactive park outside the Victoria and Albert Museum - a project commissioned by Dundee City Council.

The 22-tonne sculpture is made up on stainless steel hollow tubes and has 2,457 individual parts.

The art piece was lowered into the water in Littlehampton on Thursday with the help of a 500-tonne crane and dozens of staff from Littlehampton Welding Limited.

The Argus: 36-metre whale sculpture begins four-day voyage. Credit: Eddie Mitchell 36-metre whale sculpture begins four-day voyage. Credit: Eddie Mitchell

Artist Lee, 33, won a design competition run by Dundee City Council 18 months ago that called for a whale-themed canopy to grace the waterfront.

In an interview with the Daily Mail, he said he chose a humpback due to its distinctive shape, having watched endless YouTube videos to see how it moved, swam and carried itself in the water.

He described himself as a “stickler for details”, often working through the night in his studio trying to perfect the design and figure out how to transport the 36-metre-long sculpture.

“It could have been packed up in bits and put on a lorry,” he said. “But you’d have ended up with bolted connections, not welded in continuous pieces — and lost some of the elegance.”

The Argus: 36-metre whale sculpture begins four-day voyage. Credit: Eddie Mitchell 36-metre whale sculpture begins four-day voyage. Credit: Eddie Mitchell

Instead, the whale set sail on a four-day voyage up the Channel and into the North Sea.

Lee has a BA in metalwork and jewellery from Sheffield University and went on to study at the Royal College of Art.

Since graduating, he has been involved in commissions including the Wall of Fame at the revamped London Palladium for Andrew Lloyd Webber and his wife Madeleine.