FOOLS’ VESSEL: AFLOAT

Fools’ vessel: afloat

Fools’ vessel: afloat

Fools’ vessel: afloat

Fools’ vessel: afloat

This work was the first of the Fools’ vessel pieces in terms of both chronology of creation and also the narrative of the Fools’ Vessel series. It was shown in the Sculpture in the Greens event in 2013 on the Central Coast, Australia.

The Fools’ Vessels series of works is a play on the Platonic allegory the Ship of Fools. The original narrative discusses a somewhat impaired ship’s captain that is cast aside by a mutinous crew. The crew, while full of jealousy and envy, are inept at sailing and navigation; the result is an ill-guided voyage. Like Plato’s fools our generation’s myopia and self-interest appear to be leading us nowhere while also being oblivious to our environmental effects. In turn our ship, led by such short-sighted values, is facing potential ruin.

In this piece the vessel appears to float on the waters surface.