Luke Jerram Brings Ghost Boats to Leigh Woods

Luke Jerram now arguably only second in public perception to Banksy as ‘artist of the people’ has revealed his new art installation. To coincide with Bristol being the European Green Capital in 2015, a flotilla of fishing vessels will be hauled up to Leigh Woods and scattered around the forest.

Miles from the sea, how did they get here? Were they left by a receding tidal surge or a changing coast line? Is this the effect of climate change or over fishing, causing fish stocks to collapse and with it the industry?

www.ghostboats.co.uk

Or… a tribute to the film Step Brothers in which the characters played by Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly. are gifted a ruined yacht as a sort of adult tree house come den?

Unlike the temporary nature of the Park Street Slide, the ghost boats, or piece collectively entitled ‘withdrawn’ will be left for the public to explore for six months and will also be host to a number of different music events, performances and less excitingly, lectures.

Is this piece just a natural progression from one of my favourite ridiculous art works, ‘Shed Boat Shed’? Is this now then ‘Shed Boat Shed Boat Forest?’

Regardless of ethical or environmentally aware intentions, what we will have is a big old playground. Bristol is a playground after all. After seeing what the official programme holds, I may well assemble my own list of activities which may or may not include:

- Filming a Justin Lee Collins style documentary with the aim of reforming the Bristol Sea Shanty Collective (that sadly disbanded in 2012), culminating in a performance upon a trawler. - Recreating scenes from ‘Waterworld’ , bringing the magic of the famed movie flop to a whole new audience.

- Recreating this scene from Jaws: Failing all that - the worlds largest Pirate Rave! YARRRRRRRRR THERE BE GLOWSTICKS