Please select your home edition
Edition
Mackay Boats 728x90 TOP

When art meets sailing

by Team Malizia 27 Aug 2022 03:37 PDT
American artist Sarah Morris designed Team Malizia's new race yacht's spinnaker sail © Yann Riou

Mediated by the Hamburg art institution Deichtorhallen the German offshore sailor Boris Herrmann and his Team Malizia have collaborated with American artist Sarah Morris on an exciting project. Morris is making the spinnaker sail - a 400sqm surface - of their new race yacht, Malizia - Seaexplorer, into a work of art which will navigate the world.

The American artist is recognised for her work in painting and film. Her subjects derive from complex observation of the architecture and psychology of urban environments. Concepts of mapping and navigation are sources of ongoing fascination for Morris. Over the past 20 years the artist has developed a multitude of site-specific works and projects for many institutions.

Morris adds: "Art is a form of navigation. I love the idea of harnessing the power of the wind and colour to move Malizia - and its platform of addressing climate change - through the oceans of the world. The composition is based both upon a photograph I took of a funnel spiderweb and a map of Springpoint, one of my centres of activity."

This partnership came about through the duo having strong links to the Deichtorhallen - the famous art institution in Hamburg with a strong history of engagement in contemporary art. Morris will have her first retrospective at Deichtorhallen on April 20 - August 20, 2023. Her latest work on the Malizia - Seaexplorer engages with the topic of the climate crisis which resonated strongly with Team Malizia's agenda.

The Malizia Team is well known for engaging with the subject of climate change. The team transported Greta Thunberg to the 2019 UN Climate Action Summit on their boat Malizia II.

Herrmann commented: "We had this idea to collaborate on our sailing project and one year on, it is spectacular to see Sarah's work come to life on the huge spinnaker of our boat. Sarah herself has also sailed and had a clear vision of how the sport of sailing and art can come together. The art she has created using nautical signals with a message about climate action is really inspiring and we are proud to carry this as a further message to our A Race We Must Win message around the world."

Dirk Luckow, General Director of Deichtorhallen about the sail's artistic aspects: "An extravagant play, "splendid beauty", speed, style, wit: all these attributes are reflected in the design of the Malizia sail by Sarah Morris. With its 400 sqm it is probably the largest work of art in the world ever to circumnavigate the globe under its own power, a sign that we would also like to see in relation to global climate change."

The realisation of the process took many hours including the design of the sail itself - a 400sqm North Sails white cloth spinnaker in France - and the design of the artwork which happened in New York in Morris's studio. The spinnaker was then hand painted in a Hamburg warehouse. The spinnaker is the largest of the sails carried onboard the race yacht and allows the Malizia - Seaexplorer to sail fast in light wind conditions. It is a crucial tool for the boat to gain speed.

The Malizia - Seaexplorer and the newly unveiled artwork will be sailing from France to Hamburg for the race boat's christening on 6th September at the Sandtorhafen pontoon in the Hafencity. The boat's christening will be open to the public.

Related Articles

37 days to the Transat Café L'or
72 boat fleet includes 18 female skippers On Sunday, October 26, at 2pm local time the 72 boats registered for the 17th edition of the TRANSAT CAFÉ L'OR Le Havre Normandie will set sail on the most famous double-handed transatlantic race. Posted on 19 Sep
Uncertainty reigns across Biscay in Défi Azimut
A cracking start for Charal, leading the fleet off the Glénans archipelago Doubt lingers this Thursday regarding the intentions of the wind gods off the coast of Lorient, Brittany. Will the fleet have enough breeze to fill their sails throughout the rectangular course concocted by Race Management? Posted on 19 Sep
The Ocean Race Europe is heading towards its final
All to play for in the final weekend of racing in Boka Bay, Montenegro The Ocean Race Europe 2025 is heading towards its Finale in Boka Bay, Montenegro. With the last points still in play, the final coastal race on Saturday will decide the remaining positions. Posted on 19 Sep
48 hours in light airs on the cards
15th Défi Azimut Lorient Agglomération begins The two-handed Défi Azimut - Lorient Agglomération 48 Hours race set sail from the IMOCA headquarters at Lorient on 18th September, promising a tricky light airs contest for the 12 crews taking part. Posted on 18 Sep
Big colour displays
Which would you prefer? A+T Instruments will be at the Monaco Boat Show and at the Les voiles de Saint-Tropez. Hugh will be navigating on SY Sealen B, and Pete will be navigating on SY Mariella. Posted on 18 Sep
IMOCA Speed Runs in Lorient
15th Défi Azimut Lorient Agglomération kicks off Une Battle commenced in the 15th Défi Azimut Lorient Agglomération with a spectacle guaranteed from the get-go. Speed runs left, right and centre in the Courreaux de Groix, followed by a grand parade by an 11-strong fleet of IMOCAs to delight the crowds. Posted on 18 Sep
Biotherm wins the Ocean Race Europe
For Paul, this was most satisfying of wins in a race that he planned for and targeted for many years Paul Meilhat and his crew on Biotherm are the runaway winners of the second edition of The Ocean Race Europe after adding their fourth leg win in five starts early this morning. Posted on 15 Sep
Holcim-PRB claims 2nd place in Boka Bay
After memorable comeback in The Ocean Race Europe Leg 5 The Holcim-PRB crew claimed an outstanding second place on the fifth and final leg of The Ocean Race Europe, navigating a course full of twists and turns. Posted on 15 Sep
Biotherm win final leg into Montenegro
To seal dominant overall victory in The Ocean Race Europe 2025 Paul Meilhat's French-flagged IMOCA Biotherm has won the fifth and final stage of The Ocean Race Europe - the 1,600-nautical mile leg from Genova, Italy to Boka Bay in Montenegro - and in doing so has confirmed a spectacular overall win. Posted on 15 Sep
Team Malizia Third in Boka Bay
Clinching Podium Finish in Final Leg of The Ocean Race Europe 2025 After a tight battle for the podium on the fifth and final stage of The Ocean Race Europe 2025, Team Malizia crossed the finish line in Boka Bay, Montenegro, early this morning to claim third place and five points. Posted on 15 Sep
RS Sailing 2021 - FOOTERZhik 2024 DecemberBarton Marine Pipe Glands