Be dazzled by the MV Fingal

You may have seen coverage of the unveiling of the MV Fingal, or Dazzle Ship, which left Leith at 0900 on Saturday 28th May and returned around 7pm the same day?

Starting in April this year the ship has been transformed by a local artist into ‘Every Woman.’ We’re proud to confirm that t ward shipping limited were responsible for organising the movement of the ship last month – and didn’t it go well? We were busy behind the scenes preparing for the unveiling of the newly dazzled ship, booking the entire marine movement and making sure everything went smoothly on the day. We booked everything from the tugs, pilots and riggers to the tow master.

Dazzle Ships have been docked in London and Liverpool since 2014, and have become floating works of art for visitors and residents.  This Dazzle Ship definitely brought a stunning splash of colour to Leith docks, as it celebrated the role British women played in the First World War effort. The MV Fingal offers its own contemporary take on the “dazzle” technique, a technique which was used in the war where vessels were painted with bold patterns designed to confuse the enemy.

The latest Dazzle Ship features a design from Turner Prize-nominated artist Ciara Phillips which lit up the city of Edinburgh in style. It’s the fourth Dazzle Ship to be commissioned, and was launched in Scotland on 29 May and 1 June 2016, to mark the centenary of the Battle of Jutland.

Dazzle painting played an important part in the Battle of Jutland according to Sorcha Carey, director of the Edinburgh Art Festival, which co-commissioned Phillips’ artwork with 14-18 NOW, the body involved with organising the centenary arts commissions.

The first artist, Tobias Rehberger from Germany converted the exterior of the warship HMS President (which was docked in London) into a modern combination of pipes and funnels. Following on from him, Venezuelan artist Carlos Cruz-Diez took on a Liverpool pilot vessel and dazzled it in a combination of red, yellow, green and black vertical stripes. Sir Peter Blake created his dazzle by turning a working Mersey ferry into a riot of Pop art.

For more information on mv Fingal (Dazzle Ship) please go to - https://www.1418now.org.uk/commissions/dazzle-ship-scotland-4/.

 

You can view mv Fingal from Ocean Driver, Leith Docks.