Dorothy Cross, Ghost Ship (video still), 1999
The work Dorothy Cross (b.1956, Cork, Ireland) made for TRACE was an extension of an existing installation, Ghost Ship, realized near Dublin in 1999. For the original work Cross painted a retired light ship with many layers of phosphorescent paint and moored it out at sea within sight of the esplanade of Dublin Bay. Every evening just before dusk the boat’s sides were flooded with strong ultraviolet light.
As the sun faded the lights were turned off. The boat remained visible as a luminous, ghostly presence between the shore and the horizon. The original purpose of the light ship as a marker of reefs and dangerous waters brings to mind the many ships that foundered in spite of every precaution. Each evening crowds of sightseers would come to the cold waterside to watch this mystery unfold and speculate about the history of the sea and of this boat in particular.
Ghost Ship, 1999
video projection
Exhibited at Exchange Flags
Ghost Ship, 1999
model light ship
Exhibited at Exchange Flags
The Nissan Art Project in association with the Irish museum of Modern Art, 1999
Liverpool Biennial
55 New Bird Street
Liverpool L1 0BW
Liverpool Biennial is funded by
Founding Supporter
James Moores