Open Sailing

Open Sailing

16 June, 2009
by: Katuschka

Ah, the sea, last refuge of scoundrels; the hermitic manly existence of Hemingway fan wet dreams; and, according to some artsy folks, a future haven for our doomed society. Although perhaps not the swarthy, piratical jolly rogering of yore that not only looked fun, but damned good with its Vivienne Westwood aesthetic. But today, what with the ozone sizzling into a cosmic shrinky-dink, the environment more hostile than a teenage goth's underwear drawer and the rising trend in holistic lifestyles, perhaps looking to the life aquatic isn't such a bad idea.

Open Sailing is a project which seeks to create a communal craft which will enable sustainable sea living whilst co-existing peacefully with the ecosystem. So far, so hippy you might think, but the project isn't just good vibes and committing to a diet of plankton. No, it involves actual science, some of which has even been used in space. Alongside the craft prototype, which looks like a jellyfish digesting the Starship Enterprise, there is a Willy Wonka factory of quirky gadgetry with names such as 'Energy Animal' and 'Instinctive Architecture'; the kind of fun, good-looking equipment acquired only as the lovechild of science and art.

At today's Open Day at Area 10 Project Space, there are also demonstrations of the impressively multi-tasking solar, hydro- and wave-powered generators and explanations of swarm theory, a system which allows the craft to harvest food and work harmoniously with marine life whilst pootling along attached to a giant kite, which makes the project all the more whimsical. It's this sense of childish wonder which makes the project so engaging: this could almost be the start of a children's book with a good dose of hefty engineering behind it.  

As lovely as a floating kibbutz seems, you do start to wonder why we have to take to the sea, rather than adapt these ideas for better living to the land. Perhaps it is simply the undeniable lure of the ocean; the perceived freedom glimmering on the waves, irresistibly combined with a microcosmic commune and living off the land. With similar projects The Swimming Cities and With Sails and I cresting the waves, Open Sailing seem to be pioneering some vital and refreshing ideas for a novel future housing solution, and being a land lubber is looking increasingly passé. 

Click here for more information about Open Sailing.

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Katuschka