Dalziel + Scullion

Ambergris Necklace 2025

Sperm whales predate solely on giant squid. Once digested, the sharp beaks, claws, serrated suckers and barbed clasps of the giant squid, irritate the digestion of the whale. A waxy substance is formed around these hostile objects to protect the whales intestinal lining and is expulsed as a floating plug called Ambergris. This substance has been highly valued by perfume makers for centuries as a fixative that allows the scent to last much longer. Ambergris takes years to form. It is only produced by sperm whales, and only by an estimated one percent of them. Once expelled, it often floats for years before making landfall. The slim chances of finding it has led chemists on a quest to find viable synthetic alternatives. Sperm Whales are the only species on Earth where an individual can have a home range that is transglobal, travelling a million miles in their lifetime. They have an understanding of our planet and are connected to it in ways that remain mysterious to humans.

This wearable timber vessel containing one gram of Ambergris. Its teak wood flask has been perforated with a series of holes suggestive of the patterns of barnacles on the flesh of the whale or perhaps a futuristic notation of their complex clicks and coda lexicon.