Pill Pilot Boats

2018/2019

Pill Pilot Boats grew out of a fact finding residency with Terrestrial, a socially engaged arts organisation based in Southwest England. I spent a week in Weston super Mare with a small group of artists, exploring the town and mapping the art offer and the communities who lived there, starting conversations about what was wanted and needed, and looking at where the gaps were to be filled. From this, I was invited to run a short pop up project at Pill Library, to celebrate the launch of Terrestrial’s work. 

The project celebrates the pilots of Pill, the men who once led boats down the treacherous Avon to the port of Bristol, and acknowledges the great resource within the local community – everyone has a bit of advice they can share with others. The little boats are each made by a participant, and inside a few words of advice is written – anything from a deep and meaningful fact for life, or simply where to get the best fish and chips. The boats are then set sail in the local area, ready for others to find, collect, and hopefully replace with another of their own.