Flotilla (Phase One)

The sail sculpture at Salthouse Fields is part of a public art project called Flotilla, by South-West based artist, Chris Bodle. The project will be in two phases.

Phase One

The sail now installed in Clevedon is part of Phase One and is a temporary structure. It has been created with the input of boat builders, sailmakers, riggers, structural engineers and many others and has been designed so that in strong winds the whole structure turns in the ground like a giant weather vane.

Phase One is all about testing the idea, both to prove the structure works and also to gauge interest in the project and help build support for Phase Two. The pattern design on the sail came from a sumigashi print made at a community workshop last summer run by local artist, Sam Francis (@samfrancisco).

Phase Two

In Phase Two a whole ‘flotilla’ of sails will be rolled out across the North Somerset Levels between Clevedon, Nailsea and Yatton.

Looking out across the landscape, the sails will appear to float above the fields as if raised up on an invisible sea, turning in the wind, shifting appearance in the changing light.

The ‘flotilla’ aims to evoke a long-lost time when the whole of the North Somerset Levels were under water at high tide. And also suggest a possible future where, due to rising sea levels we could see sailboats traverse a new watery environment as the North Somerset coastline is radically redrawn.

Phase Two aims to blend the physical presence of the sails, atmospheric effects and the imagination of the viewer to create new ways to experience this unique landscape.

Note: The sail is accessible within the park 24 hours a day until 16 September