I was approached recently and asked if i would be interested in contributing in some way to the Black Duke project in North Wales. Street artists and others want to convert an abandoned ship (the Duke of Lancaster) into an arts venue. http://www.dudug.co.uk/
I have to admit I wasn’t sure how I could effectively contribute to what looked at first to be a street art thing, but the more I “dugdug” into it the more I became fascinated by the whole thing. If nothing else check out the history of this ship.. it is a quite extraordinary tale.
Decades ago the owner (he is still the owner) wanted to create a visitor attraction around this boat… “a funship”. He brought the ship to its present location and very soon found himself mired by local officialdom and he has fought for years to get his project off the ground. I suggest you read the background on this. Despite numerous attempts through local and national courts his project remains bogged down.
The more I looked into the more it struck me that the “Duke of Lancaster” (The Queen is the Duke of Lancaster) is a potent symbol of the state of the country. The fate of an entrepeneur prepared to be adventurous, and a ship built to go places and to have people at its heart has been literally marooned in a mass of petty officialdom corruption for decades.
This ship stuck for decades in the mud of north wales is a potent symbol for the state of the country.