‘Dazzle’ Ship Makes Debut on Mersey After Peter Blake Makeover
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND, April 2, 2015 (Gephardt Daily) – One of the ferries that operates on and across the Mersey river in Liverpool, England, has been given a makeover to commemorate the centenary of World War One.
The ferry was repainted in a unique “dazzle” design by Sir Peter Blake. World War One ship designers used the dazzle effect to try to avoid detection by the enemy. The bright and twisty designs made it harder for hostile forces to track the range and speed of allied ships.
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Pop Art giant and Sgt. Pepper album artist Sir Peter, 83, created the Everybody Razzle Dazzle design for the Snowdrop.
Everybody Razzle Dazzle is the third in a series of Dazzle Ship commissions to mark the centenary of World War I, and was co-commissioned by 14-18 NOW, Liverpool Biennial and Tate Liverpool, in partnership with Merseytravel and National Museums Liverpool.
The other two ships in the series are the Edmund Gardner on Liverpool’s Mann Island, which was unveiled as part of Liverpool’s 2014 International Biennial, and a Dazzle Ship on the River Thames in London.
Liverpool Biennial director Sally Tallant said: “It’s an honour to commission Sir Peter Blake to revisit the practice of ‘dazzle camouflage’ and to invite him to paint Snowdrop, an iconic Mersey Ferry.”
Passengers will be able to learn about the history of “dazzle” and the role that Mersey ferries played in World War One by visiting an onboard exhibition.
Peter Blake was one of the major figures of British pop art and has strong links with Liverpool. He first visited the city during his National Service with the RAF.
