Fusion of Olympic Sailing and Cultural Olympiad Legacy on show
by Jonny Murch 7 Aug 2013 16:43 BST
11 August 2013
The White Horses arts collaboration © Tracey Falcon
Exactly one year to the day of the final sailing races that took place in Weymouth during the London 2012 Olympic Games, a unique fusion of the legacy of Olympic Sailing and the Cultural Olympiad will be on show at 11:30 on 11th August at Whitstable Yacht Club. This will be the launch of 'Art-on-Sea'; a floating art gallery devised and delivered by White Horses Whitstable.
White Horses Whitstable is an art and sailing collaboration based at Whitstable Yacht Club, one of the oldest and largest sailing clubs in England, and will create a floating gallery comprising original artwork printed onto racing sails of the Laser Olympic Class dinghies.
Led by artist Tracey Falcon and Richard Earland of Whitstable Yacht Club, White Horses Whitstable is one of five Prosper Adventures, a Canterbury Festival initiative, with further support from Canterbury Christ Church University. Discover more at prospertogether.co.uk/what-are-we-about.
Following an open 'call for artists' White Horses Whitstable received well over 100 expressions of interest and selected 17 final pieces of artwork to be printed onto the sails. The sails will be used in 2 public events in Whitstable on 11th and 17th August with others to be confirmed later in the season.
This fusion of two of the iconic forces in Whitstable - art and sailing – will bring the artists work to life with the changing winds, light and movement of the waves, as well as to greater numbers of people on and offshore.
Whitstable Yacht Club has a strong track record in hosting many international and national dinghy championships. White Horses Whistable will launch a new era for the club in both hosting groundbreaking events and in its relationship with the burgeoning art community in Whitstable and beyond.
The British yachting community and sports press are invited to Whitstable for the launch of the 'Art-on-Sea' floating gallery by White Horses Whitstable at 11:30 this 11th August.
Importantly this is not just about a spectacle – its is driven by a deeper desire to engage the public, artists and the sailors at WYC in the experience of this new collaboration. The project aspires to explore artistic possibilities offered by the sea and new ways to show and curate these works. By creating and developing a floating art gallery it is hoped this will be toured to multiple locations around the coast. Through public engagement the partners wish to investigate attitudes to, stories and connections to the sea.
www.whitehorseswhitstable.co.uk