The Big Fish also called The Salmon of Knowledge is a printed ceramic mosaic sculpture by John Kindness. The 33-foot long statue was constructed in 1999 and installed on Donegall Quay in Belfast, near the Lagan Lookout and Custom House.
The Big Fish’s image regularly appears on tourism material related to Belfast and Northern Ireland.
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The outer skin of the fish consists of ceramic tiles decorated with texts and images relating to the history of Belfast. According to the Belfast City Council, each scale “tells a story about the city”. Material from Tudor times to present day newspaper headlines are included along with contributions from Belfast school children (including a soldier and an Ulster Fry). The Ulster Museum provided the primary source of historic images, while local schools/day centers located along the line of the River Farset were approached to provide drawings for the fish.
The Big Fish contains a time capsule storing information, images, and poetry on the City.
John Kindness (born Belfast, Northern Ireland, 1951) is an Irish artist working a range of media including sculpture and painting. He attended the Belfast College of Art and now lives and works in London.