Art for Places
Julia Kashdan
Julia Kashdan's design, 'Vessel'
The proposed building draws inspiration from the working boats that once populated the canal from Leeds to Liverpool with particular reference to the working 'no frills' cargo boats, the 'short boats' and the ice boats which kept cargo flowing during the winter months by breaking the ice along the canal and were unique in their construction from solid timber planks.
'Vessel' evokes an inverted ice boat hull as a dry-land structure. This is a watertight vessel for the containers inside, which are imagined as the cargo. These containers form the enclosed accommodation in the brief. The building is devised to open up completely on the waterside elevation for summertime use extending the building use and flexibility depending on the season. The materiality and construction of the building alludes to the canal's industrial past as well as looking forward to contemporary innovative solutions and modern day use as a waterside social and leisure venue.
