Student project animates the decommissioned LV21 light ship

Richard Seymour created such playful products as  ‘a drawing pin you couldn’t pick up, a teapot that poured forever’ and Museum of London head of design Leigh Cain boldly redesigned Elephant and Castle Tube station.

Now, MA student Tom Beg is setting his sights on a similarly large-scale project, as he looks to animate the decommissioned LV21 light ship in Kent.

Beg, who studies Design for Performance & Events at University of the Creative Arts Rochester, will use projection mapping to bring the ship’s interior to life.

Beg says, ‘I’m hoping to present the interior of a ship in a way that no-one has ever seen before. I think the features of a boat offer something different to what you’d usually expect from projection mapping which has mostly been used on large scale buildings, such as Buckingham Palace.’

The project will form part of this week’s International Lighthouse Lightship Weekend (ILLW), which will celebrate light communications, including Morse Code, aboard the boat moored at Gillingham Pier.

Beg adds, ‘Having produced a few smaller scale projections in the past, I wanted to develop something that gave these techniques a real purpose ­ artistically and commercially – which is why I’m proud it’s part of a major international festival.’

The animations can be seen aboard the LV21 at Gillingham Pier, Pier Approach Road, Gillingham, Medway ME7 from 10.30am-4pm from 18-19 August.