I had the idea to hang a continuous piece of white fabric throughout Tank to create a sail like installation. This was mostly inspired by sailing with my father when I was thirteen years old. He worked on tall ships for a company called Vision Quest in the US. They took groups of delinquent kids from juvenile hall on wagon trails across the Nevada dessert or sailing two masted schooners around the East coast.
The New Way was not in official service for most of the year we spent living in Pensacola, Florida. I think it was waiting for some kind of repair or service before they could continue questing. In the mean time we got to sail on short charter trips around Pensacola Bay. We then took a trip 200 miles East along the Gulf Coast to to Apalachicola on her sister ship the Bill of Rights. Wow what a trip. Crazy storms! I kept trying to get on deck and help ( I felt totally sick downstairs and loved being on deck) My dad had to lock me down to keep me safe! The following summer we sailed the Bill of Rights all the way around Florida from Pensacola to Georgia with many an adventure along the way.
I loved working on the boat. Climbing out onto t
he rigging and furling the sails while the boat was speeding through the waves. I helped pull up the anchor determined to use every inch of power and gravity to help me pull my lever just as fast as the guy on the opposite one, despite my fairly slight frame. Coz I can do anything just as good as a grown guy..right!? My dad was proud and called me his “little sweat princess” Yeah, thanks dad! Yuck!
The sails are ever changing. Big and billowing, being reigned in, one up one down, furled, unraveled, swinging the boom over, forever permutating to catch the best wind.
When I arrived in the gallery to make Sail, I had an idea about what I wanted but actually it evolved much better than I expected. Taking on the characteristics of real sails while bonding with the building itself in a way I did not expect. I find myself lingering on the top floor of tank longer and longer, soaking in the light and the breeze.
Aliceson Carter's video works form the perfect collaboration. Charing Cross shows a memorizing sky - most of what you can see while at sea. And Rain with flows abstractly on a horizontally like the water alongside a boat.
I feel like tank has set sail with me in it! Humm...where shall I go?
Aoife
PS: I found the Bill of Right and what was the New Way:
http://schoonerwesternunion.blogspot.com/
http://schoonerbillofrights.blogspot.com/
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