Edinburgh Art Festival unveils Dazzle Ship project

A dramatic overhaul of the historic former lighthouse boat MV Fingal by Turner Prize nominee Ciara Phillips has been announced today by Edinburgh Art Festival.

The work, part of the 1418 NOW programme of art commemorating the centenary of the First World War, will see the boat's frontage completely redesigned by Phillips. Previous commissions as part of the Dazzle Ship project have seen Venezuelan artist Carlos Cruz-Diez 'camoflague' a boat in red, green and yellow stripes as part of the 2014 Liverpool Biennial, as well as a Sir Peter Blake-designed overhaul of the Mersey Ferry ship Snowdrop, also in collaboration with Liverpool Biennial. 

Phillips was one of four Glasgow School of Art alumni nominated for the 2014 Turner Prize, which was won by fellow GSA graduate Duncan Campbell. Elsewhere in the 1418 NOW programme, Manchester Art Gallery hosts an exhibition on "the fashion legacy of the First World War" and Scotland + Venice artist Graham Fagen contributes to nationwide participatory programme 'Radio Relay'.

Dazzle Ship by Ciara Phillips will be on display at Leith Docks from 29 May as part of Edinburgh Art Festival's Commissions programme. The 2016 Edinburgh Art Festival runs from 28 July to 28 August. Watch a video of Carlos Cruz-Diez's Dazzle Ship taking shape in the player below.