The Australian Museum said it was “overwhelmed by all the love” being shown for Progress Shark. Brendon Thorne/Getty Images
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A 32-foot model Great White Shark became WorldPride’s unexpected mascot.
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It was decorated in the colors of the Progress flag to celebrate WorldPride in Sydney.
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Artist George Buchanan made the shark-sized leotard in her garage.
A 32-foot model of a great white shark, dressed in a colorful leotard, has become the unlikely mascot of this year’s WorldPride festival, taking place in Sydney, Australia.
“Progress Shark” is one of 45 living artworks aiming to transform Sydney into a “rainbow city” to celebrate the 45th anniversary of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras and WorldPride taking place concurrently.
Artist George Buchanan sewed the shark-sized leotard in her garage. It was meant to welcome visitors to the Australian Museum, but has somehow become the unofficial symbol of WorldPride.
Buchanan told BBC News it took “six or seven” hours to attach the outfit to the shark, which is suspended 16 feet off the ground in front of the museum.
She told The Guardian: “It’s very Australian humour. It’s so silly. It’s just absurd. What was seen as a menacing creature now brings so much joy and love.”
The Shark’s leotard features 11 colors sewn together into two “Progress” flags – an updated form of the Pride flag created in 2018.
In addition to the traditional colors, the Progress flag includes black and brown stripes to represent marginalized LGBTQ communities of color, as well as pink, light blue, and white seen on the transgender pride flag.
Even before it was officially unveiled on February 8, Progress Shark had become a viral sensation after Sydney WorldPride released a computer-generated preview.
A commenter on Instagram said they are “constantly obsessed” with Progress Shark. Another said: “It is true that sharks do not discriminate. They eat everyone.”
The Australian Museum tweeted that it was “blown away by all the love” shown for Progress Shark.
Progress Shark now has its own fan account on Instagram – and it’s spawned memes, fan art, stickers and even a knitted miniature version.
Read the original article on Business Insider
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