By
Rebecca Gibson |
Mersey Ferries is to celebrate its role in World War One by commissioning British pop artist Sir Peter Blake to cover one of its ferries in ‘dazzle’ paint.
Used during World War One, ‘dazzle’ was invented by artist Norman Wilkinson and is a form of camouflage that works by deliberately misleading the enemies’ eyes, making it difficult to estimate a target’s range, speed and direction. Each ship featured a different dazzle pattern to ensure that ships could not be easily recognised by enemy U-boats and aircraft.
Entitled Everybody Razzle Dazzle, Blake’s design will cover Mersey Ferry’s Snowdrop, surrounding the passenger vessel with a distinctive pattern for the next two years. The ferry will continue to provide its regular commuter service while sporting the dazzle paint.
“I’ve had a long association with Liverpool over the years and I’m honoured and excited to be asked to design a dazzle image for the iconic Mersey Ferry,” said Blake.
Snowdrop will be the third in the series of Dazzle Ship commissions, following Induction Chromatique à Double Fréquence pour l’EdmundGardner Ship / Liverpool. Paris 2014 by Carlos Cruz-Diez on the Liverpool Waterfront, and Tobias Rehberger’s Dazzle Ship on the River Thames in London.
“It is an honour to commission Sir Peter Blake to revisit the practice of 'dazzle camouflage' and to invite him to paint the Snowdrop – an iconic Mersey Ferry,” said Sally Tallant, director of Liverpool Biennial. “This is the third vessel that we have co-commissioned with our partners. Millions of people will have the opportunity to see and engage with the artwork and we are delighted to be able to bring this exciting project to Liverpool.”
Onboard the ship, tourists and commuters will be able to learn more about the history of dazzle art and the role the Mersey Ferries played in the World War One in a display developed by curators from National Museums Liverpool and Tate Liverpool.
“The Mersey Ferries are a really important part of Liverpool’s maritime and transport history and we’re pleased to be involved in helping to highlight their involvement in the First World War,” said Ian Murphy, deputy director of Merseyside Maritime Museum. “Our pilot ship Edmund Gardner was painted for the city’s first Dazzle Ship project and this is a great opportunity to be able to further explore Liverpool’s wartime story onboard the ‘dazzled’ Snowdrop.”
Liverpool Biennial, 14-18 NOW WW1Centenary Art Commissions and Tate Liverpool have co-commissioned one of the major figures of British pop art, Sir Peter Blake, to ‘dazzle’ a Mersey Ferry in partnership with Merseytravel and National Museums Liverpool.