Pier Head: Dazzle Ferry

Sir Peter’s design entitled ‘Everybody Razzle Dazzle’ (2015) covers the Mersey Ferry Snowdrop with a distinctive pattern in monochrome and colour, transforming the vessel into a moving artwork as it continues its service. This is the third in the series of Dazzle Ship commissions and the first to be a working vessel. Snowdrop will remain dazzled until it is taken out of service.

Unlike other forms of camouflage, dazzle camouflage works not by concealing but by baffling the eye, making it difficult to estimate a target’s range, speed and direction. Realised in monochrome and colour, each ship’s dazzle pattern was unique in order to avoid making classes of ships instantly recognisable to enemy U-boats and aircraft.

As well as being a moving artwork, visitors who board the Snowdrop can learn more about the history of dazzle and the role that the Mersey Ferries took in the First World War in an on-board display curated by Merseyside Maritime Museum and Tate Liverpool. An integrated education programme underpins the project and includes a free digital resource with interactive activities for use in or outside the classroom. Share your photos using #DazzleFerry and create your own 3D dazzle artwork with the free Dazzle It app.

Sir Peter Blake (b. 1932) is a leading figure in the development of British pop art and his work is synonymous with the use of imagery from modern culture, including comic books, consumer goods and advertisements. Sir Peter Blake has a strong relationship with Liverpool that extends beyond his famous design of The Beatles’s album cover, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band in 1967.

See ‘Everybody Razzle Dazzle’ for free from the waterfront or hop on board to explore the curated display.