"My question is what if evolution went a different way [and] we evolved a nature that could fly instead of swim. Coming from a place like Canberra where it's a planned city that's really tried to integrate and blend in with the natural environment, it makes a lot of sense to make this sort of huge, gigantic, but artificial and natural-looking creature."
"My mind is still ajar but Skywhale seems (though I may have changed my mind about this by next week) an esoteric and indulgent thing," said Ian Warden, a columnist for The Canberra Times.
"It is no fun One tries not to be a philistine in this – but perhaps Centenary creative director Robyn Archer could have commissioned a more festive, more accessible kind of balloon?"
The opposition in the local Australian Capital Territory denounced the floating whale after its full cost was revealed.
"Whilst Canberra taxpayers will pay $AU300,000 for the hot air balloon, it is not actually owned by the Territory and has a design life of only 100 flights, with only one of those flights planned for Canberra so far," said opposition leader Jeremy Hanson.
"Whilst we respect the artist, it would have been nice to see something that is visually more symbolic to the ACT and better represents our 100 year birthday."
The ACT's leader, Katy Gallagher, said when she first saw diagrams of the balloon her eyes "nearly fell out of her head" but it had since grown on her.
The balloon, which carries a pilot and two passengers, will make its first official flight on Saturday morning.
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