By
Alex Smith |
Virgin Voyages’ third ship, Resilient Lady, set sail on 14 May with a unique collection of commissioned art curated by UK-based design agency Volume Creative.
The female-led agency was appointed by Virgin Voyages as the art consultants for the ship, responsible for the narrative, strategy, design, procurement and manufacture of art across 40 different spaces across the ship. It collaborated with nine artists on 68 bespoke commissions, as well as creating pieces in-house. A total of 372 installations were created over the course of 26 weeks, ranging from sculpture, murals, prints, tapestries and 3D art.
Dominque Latoel, Vic Lee, and Jessie and Katey were among the artists who worked onboard over the course of several weeks, creating hand drawn and painted murals. Jessie and Katey made use of playful patterns and bold colours, while Latoel made use of Moluccan symbol making to represent the power of movement and energy.
“I am deeply grateful to Volume for giving me the chance to showcase my work that authentically represents my cultural indigenous Moluccan roots,” said Latoel. “They recognised the importance of genuine storytelling and provided me with the creative freedom to infuse my heritage into the project. Their unwavering support and confidence in my abilities enabled me to create a profoundly meaningful and impactful pieces for Virgin Voyages.”
Vic Lee created pieces in his intricate illustrative style for three spaces, including the onboard tattoo parlour Squid Ink, the Barber Shop and the Mexican restaurant, Pink Agave.
“As an artist, it’s important for me to have freedom to develop each piece and Volume and Virgin allowed me that,” said Lee. “From the canvasses in Pink Agave, representing a dreamlike, beneath the waves moment in time influenced by Mexican traditions, to the raw, hand painted mural of tattooed tentacles in Squid Ink and the sublimely stylish piece at the Barber Shop.”
Sculptures of a mermaid and captain for the upper deck were created by Ruben Sanchez, who worked closely with the design agency's UK-based manufacturers to produce the pieces. Textile artist Jo Elbourne produced three large, framed tapestries for the ship, while street artist Bonzai adorned the walls outside the ship’s theatre with quotes from Romeo and Juliet using his liquid chrome graffiti detailing.
Graphic artist Lucy Douglas created prints using a traditional Vandercook printing press and ceramist Helen Johannessen took inspiration from the fluidity of the ocean with layered ceramic vessels.
“The translucency of fine porcelain allows diffused light to travel through which emits movement and elegance, echoing the sea,” said Johannessen.
Volume also created artwork in-house across 26 different spaces, including signature pieces that are seen across all three Virgin Voyages ships.
“For us, good art needs to do good too,” said Callie Tedder-Hares, Founding Partner of Volume Creative. “We wanted the collection for Virgin Voyages to celebrate diversity of thought and champion innovation. This vision, coupled with the collaborative approach of the artists, yielded results that were greater than the sum of its parts, telling stories of sustainability, joy, and resilience.”
Throughout its artworks, Volume made use of elements created by sister company Spared, which transforms waste materials into art and furniture. Volume incorporated food packaging waste into the ‘Tentacles’ sculpture, while the ‘Tail’ sculpture in the retail area was created from responsibly sourced cork and the ribbon-like sculptures at the entrance to the On The Rocks cocktail bar are made from recycled plastic. 3D wall art by artist Claire Knill also included Spared elements that incorporated seafood waste.
“This was a truly collaborative process that nurtured creativity and the fullest potential of the brief alongside the fabrication requirements of the ship,” said Knill. “The team were so supportive in bringing my vision for the artwork to life and as invested as I was in perfecting the details.”