LOVE BOAT / LED IT BE
Piushaven / Tilburg (NL) 2016
The Northern Lights are a mesmerising phenomenon. The collisions between electrically charged particles from the sun entering the earth’s atmosphere look like bright dancing lights – magical and mysterious. And they make a perfectly suitable theme for a floating light object that doubles as a wedding location. Vollaers and Zwart designed Love Boat for the municipality of Tilburg. After sundown the vessel comes alive and the Aurora Borealis plays across its surface. The work is permanently located in the Piushaven [harbour], in a recently restored part of town.
The project took all of two years to complete. The first and most difficult step was finding a suitable vessel. After examining thousands of boats online, a second-hand Bakdekker motor yacht from 1932 was found. It was restored and completely stripped of details, resulting in a bare, futuristic shape. Some 50 litres of putty were applied to the hull and over 600 holes were drilled through which LED strips were woven. The light technology was supplied by PRG PROJECTS the same Belgian firm responsible for U2’s stadium shows and the visuals at the Olympic Games. One can imagine the interior of the boat looking like a space ship’s command deck.
The project took all of two years to complete. The first and most difficult step was finding a suitable vessel. After examining thousands of boats online, a second-hand Bakdekker motor yacht from 1932 was found. It was restored and completely stripped of details, resulting in a bare, futuristic shape. Some 50 litres of putty were applied to the hull and over 600 holes were drilled through which LED strips were woven. The light technology was supplied by PRG PROJECTS the same Belgian firm responsible for U2’s stadium shows and the visuals at the Olympic Games. One can imagine the interior of the boat looking like a space ship’s command deck.
