A work of art that sails around the world
Sarah Morris lives in New York and is known as an artist and filmmaker. Her large-format and colourful grid pictures are characteristic of her work. Works by Sarah Morris can be seen in many internationally renowned exhibitions such as the Tate Gallery of Modern Art in London and also in German museums and galleries. Among other things, Sarah Morris has dealt with the Olympic Games on several occasions, including in her film 1972, which premiered in 2008. Boris Herrmann and his Malizia team launched their joint venture with Sarah Morris on the initiative of Hamburg's Deichtorhallen: Sarah Morris designed the 400 square metre sail of the new racing yacht "Malizia - Seaexplorer" and turned it into a unique work of art that is now sailing around the world.
Art as a platform for thematising climate change
Sarah Morris draws her ideas from observations of architecture and the psychology of urban environments. Concepts of navigation and mapping have also long been a source of fascination for her. Over the past 20 years, the artist has developed a variety of site-specific works and projects for numerous institutions. Sarah Morris says: "Art for me is like a form of navigation. I like the idea of using the power of the wind and the colours of the Malizia to make it sail through the oceans of the world - also as a platform that addresses climate change. The design is based both on a photo I took of a funnel-shaped spider's web and on a map of Springpoint, one of my main places of work."
Sarah Morris will host her first retrospective at the Deichtorhallen in 2023 from 20 April to 20 August. With her most recent work on Malizia - Seaexplorer, she is now decidedly addressing the topic of the climate crisis. Her work thus overlaps strongly with the agenda of Team Malizia. Boris Herrmann's team stands for intensive engagement in the climate crisis. In 2019, the Hamburg-based skipper and Malizia co-founder Pierre Casiraghi sailed Greta Thunberg on "Malizia II" to the UN Climate Summit. The team motto "A race we must win" also reflects the focus. Click here for the Homepage of Team Malizia.
Boris Herrmann: "Incredible to see how Sarah's work was brought to life"
Boris Herrmann says: "We had the idea of collaborating with our sailing boat. A year later, it's incredible to see how Sarah's work has come to life and is now being used as a spinnaker on our boat. Sarah used to sail herself and therefore had a clear vision of how sailing and art could be brought together. The way she has artistically created a message about climate action from nautical signals is very inspiring. It's something we're proud to take with us on our 'A Race We Must Win' mission around the world."
The realisation of the project took a lot of time. The work ranged from the Morris design of the sail itself to the creation of the design, which was created in her studio in New York. The artwork was created on "North Sails white cloth" spinnakers from France. The spinnaker was painted and finalised by hand in a Hamburg warehouse. It is the largest sail in the wardrobe of "Malizia - Seaexplorer". It is designed to allow the latest generation Imoca to sail fast even in light winds.
Home game on 6 and 7 September: The christening of the new "Malizia - Seaexplorer" is celebrated with a festival in HafenCity
With the work of art on board, "Malizia - Seaexplorer" is now sailing towards Hamburg. There the yacht will be6 September at the pontoon of the Sandtorhafen in HafenCity experience. Embedded in a two-day Malizia Ocean Festival, the celebrations will take place in the traditional harbour in the heart of Hamburg. In addition to the new yacht and Team Malizia, the focus on 6 and 7 September will be on the adventure of sailing and climate protection issues. Boris Herrmann and his team want to share their work with the German public and their team partners. In addition to the highlight of the christening, the public event offers exciting events for young and old to take part in. Information tents with exhibitions on sustainable shipping, sustainable materials, coral protection and virtual reality experiences. Live music, food trucks and fresh drinks are also part of this creative party on the pontoon of the traditional ship harbour and the Magellan Terraces.
Festival visitors will also have the opportunity to get to know the new book by Birte Herrmann-Lorenzen and Boris Herrmann at the Hamburg Summit. It won't officially be available in bookshops until 14 September. But it will be available at the Herrmann home game from 6 September. On the morning of 7 September, it will be officially presented by the authors at the Team Malizia book stand on the festival dock, including a signing opportunity.
