The Boat Project

The Boat Project by artists Lone Twin (Gary Winters and Gregg Whelan) was  a major arts commission for the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad. Using modern yacht-building methods, they transformed donated wooden objects—such as furniture, instruments, and household items—into a 30-foot vessel described as a ‘living, floating archive’ of personal stories from communities in southeast England. The yacht functioned as both a seaworthy craft and a collaborative artwork tied to a major national cultural celebration. It launched in May 2012 and sailed across the region before returning to serve as a permanent public resource.

Alice Kettle created a 10 metre high, double sided sail and accompanying flags for the vessel. She incorporated images gifted by local schools and community groups into the design. A procession through Margate gifted the sail to the boat, but the weather was too bad to raise it on the mast. A series of flags were raised on the harbour arm.