News
Florida wreck to become art gallery again
The wreck of the USNS Gen. Hoyt S. Vandenberg in Florida’s Key West will once again be transformed into one of the longest underwater art galleries, as world-renowned artist Andreas Franke will display 12 pieces of art on the wreck.
In 2011, the Austrian commercial and modern artist and photographer attached 12 images to the 510-foot World War II-era ship. The pieces stayed on the ship for several months and transformed from their time under water. Also, the work was later shown in 2013 at the Studios of Key West for an exhibition.
On April 1, Franke and a group of divers will begin attaching his “Stavronikita” series, originally exhibited on the wreck of the SS Stavronikita off Bridgetown in Barbados. The process should take about two days to complete, Franke said.
The images, which Franke described as Baroque in nature, have never been shown in the United States before.
There will also be land-based exhibits of the work before it appears on the Vandenberg and after it is brought back to the surface.
The series will be exhibited before being deployed in its original state at both the History of Diving Museum in Islamorada on the 30th March and then at a yet-to-be-announced location on the 31st March, according to Capt. Joe Weatherby, an organiser of the sinking of the Vandenberg and the art project.
Organisers of the event have invited all Key West boats and divers to accompany and photograph the pieces as they are attached to the wreck.
Franke’s work will be brought up to the surface in late July, again accompanied by a large contingent of scuba divers, Weatherby said. The 12 images will then be dried and sealed. There will be an after-opening of the images at the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary’s Eco-Discovery Center in Key West, following which the images will remain on exhibit for approximately six months.
“One of the most interesting aspects of the project is to watch the transformation of the art while it is underwater,” Franke said. “It is interesting to see the clear artwork turn into a truly unique piece of art.”
Information about the art project can be found at www.thesinkingworld.com.
Source: www.keysnews.com
Photo: Andreas Franke
Over the next 12 months, specialist scuba holiday company Dive Worldwide will be supporting Bite-Back Shark & Marine Conservation with donations collected from client bookings to any one of its stunning dive destinations around the world. The independently-owned operator expects to raise £3000 for the UK charity.
Manager at Dive Worldwide, Phil North, said: “We’re especially excited to work with Bite-Back and support its intelligent, creative and results-driven campaigns to end the UK trade in shark products and prompt a change in attitudes to the ocean’s most maligned inhabitant.”
Bite-Back is running campaigns to hold the media to account on the way it reports shark news along with a brand new nationwide education programme. Last year the charity was credited for spearheading a UK ban on the import and export of shark fins.
Campaign director at Bite-Back, Graham Buckingham, said: “We’re enormously grateful to Dive Worldwide for choosing to support Bite-Back. The company’s commitment to conservation helps set it apart from other tour operators and we’re certain its clients admire and respect that policy. For us, the affiliation is huge and helps us look to the future with confidence we can deliver against key conservation programmes.”
To launch the fundraising initiative, Phil North presented Graham Buckingham with a cheque for £1,000.
Visit Dive Worldwide to discover its diverse range of international scuba adventures and visit Bite-Back to learn more about the charity’s campaigns.
MORE INFORMATION
Call Graham Buckingham on 07810 454 266 or email graham@bite-back.com
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