Essay Wealth from whale vomit By John Gathright	フレームで見る  英文をプリントする  脚注をプリントする
クジラの吐いた物でアーティストに 来年開催される愛知万博の森林体感プログラムの一つ、「グローイングビレッジ・パビリオン」のプロデューサーを務めるジョンさん。この仕事のため、生きた樹木を使って物を作る世界中の人に会いに行きますが、オーストラリアで出会った木工アーティストのピータ・クックさんは、面白い経歴の持ち主です。彼はなんと、クジラの吐いた物を売って富をなし、現在の生活に至ったのだそうです — 。

ピーター・クックさんがスモモの木を成形して創った作品

As part of my work, I travel around the world to meet amazing and unique people who are doing wonderful things with trees. On my last trip I visited a man who became wealthy through whale vomit

Have you ever seen whale vomit? Would you recognize it if you saw it washed up on a beach? Well, you might wish that you could, after learning that it is one of the most valuable substances in the world. The official term for sperm whale vomit is ambergris, and to find some ambergris could make you a very wealthy person

Since ancient times, Chinese,Persian, Roman emperors and European kings bathed in it, ate it, and made jewelry and perfume out of it. They also gave it as a gracious gift to other royalty. It is one of the rarest substances in the world and is still used as a base in some of the most expensive perfumes money can buy.

Unfortunately, most ambergris is harvested from whale carcasses, but the most valuable and environmentally friendly ambergris comes floating in oceans or washed up on beaches

ピーターさんは人里離れた森の中で、パートナーのベッキーさんと赤ん坊のバブルスと暮らしている

The reason that it is so valuable is that it smells like fresh moss after rainfall and the aroma doesn't fade. Perfumers add their own aromas to the ambergris, creating perfumes with fragrances that will last for years and years

On my last trip, I went to Australia to meet the fascinating and mult-italented artist, Mr. Peter Cook, who grows mirror frames and coffee tables out of prune trees. Nestled in a very secluded forest, hours outside Brisbane, Peter has been growing all kinds of woodware for more than 20 years. A jeweler by trade his work is very fine. After seeing his orchard of superb growing art, I couldn't help but ask him where he gets all the time to spend on his trees.

With a big smile, he turned to me and said, "Well, to start with, I bought the land with whale vomit."

Thinking that he was pulling my leg I asked him if I'd heard him right and learned that it was true. One day, while walking along a beach in Australia, he found a huge clump of ambergris. To find ambergris is not only rare but to recognize it as ambergris and know its value is unbelievable. For Peter, it was a gift from the gods. He was at a crossroads in his life and looking to start something new.

Peter gathered up the ambergris and started contacting perfumers from all over the world to sell his treasure. Offers came from the four corners of the Earth, but in the end, he sold it for an enormous amount of cash to a group of Indonesian businessmen

Instead of squandering his wealth, he bought a huge parcel of old-growth forest where he could live, and love and protect nature. His love for trees inspired his Pooktre Growing Art Trees

It was a pleasure to meet Peter, his partner Becky, and their little baby, affectionately called Bubbles, at their rustic and comfortable home.

Peter is not just lucky. He is also very talented, and I am excited that we will be able to show his art in the Growing Village Pavilion

I asked Peter how he could be so lucky to find wealth in whale vomit and soon-to-be world fame from Expo 2005. Peter answered humbly: "I think if you like and take care of nature, it sort of returns the favor."

Shukan ST: May 14, 2004

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