This month the We Explore, a catamaran, launched from France on a journey to Brazil. The 55-foot boat contains the Transatlantic Studio, a floating atelier and the brainchild of French artist Xavier Veilhan. Veilhan and his son have built a human-powered workshop onboard, and they’re using it to create art pieces during the journey that will be exhibited when they arrive next month.
Having a studio aboard the boat, which is entirely wind-powered, is Veilhan’s commentary on how art is typically transported internationally on jet-fuel-burning airplanes. “I want to further develop this initiative of a floating studio and wind-powered transportation for some of my upcoming exhibitions,” Veilhan says. “The goal is to create new imaginaries and offer an alternative to the pressures and frenetic pace of the art world: international fairs and exhibitions consume enormous amounts of energy and prioritize speed.”
Among the half-dozen people making the journey is Veilhan’s son Antoine, a carpenter. Antoine converted a bandsaw and a lathe to pedal-powered, and these are central pieces of the workshop:
Assuming the We Explore arrives on schedule—the journey will take around a month–the resultant show, “Do Vento,” will be held at São Paulo’s Nara Roesler Gallery on November 8th.
“This project is an experiment, an attempt,” Veilhan says, “which has value as a work of art in itself.”