What has now become an iconic image of Web 2.0’s inconsistency, and more specifically, the micro-blogging service Twitter’s lack of up time, the Twitter Fail Whale caused a stir among the tech community when it made its first appearance in May 2008.

Not only is the Fail Whale Twitter’s way of letting users know that the service is experiencing some issues, but it’s slowly introducing itself into pop culture. The now famous illustration by Yiying Lu has made its way into the sculpture form of media with this kinetic Fail Whale sculpture.

Titled “Lifting Up A Dreamer”, the kinetic sculpture was made by Flickr user Hil. The kinetic title basically means that the sculpture incorporates movement. The Fail Whale sculpture bobs up and down, adding both dimension and movement to the original 2D image.

While the Fail Whale might not be an image of happiness and hope, it does say something about the reliance we should allow for our online services. If a company can be down so often that their disclaimer illustration can become more iconic than the actual service itself, what does this say about the future of start-up internet services?

Flickr via MAKE