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Is This DIY Art Boat in Gowanus Ready for the Ganges?
By
John Del Signore
Published Nov 8, 2010
Modified Nov 8, 2010
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By
John Del Signore
Published Nov 8, 2010
Modified Nov 8, 2010
Share
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In March, a group of funky artists and DIY thrill seekers will be taking this "sculptural rivercraft" on a journey down the Ganges. Right now it's floating on the Gowanus, and this weekend they christened the boat, a "radial" that's made up of five smaller pontoon boats latched together in the center. For land excursions, there's a motorcycle on board, which doubled as a makeshift bar on Saturday, serving hot toddies and shots of infused vodka. On the other side of the radial, a second bar served up oysters and champagne. This is our kind of cruise!
Called "The Ocean of Blood" in reference to the Hindu goddess Kali, the boat trip is part of the Swimming Cities project, which Swoon started with a collective of like-minded artistic adventurers . Swoon isn't involved with this iteration, and the vessel (so far) isn't as eclectically eye-catching as her group's Mississippi armada. One person involved with the project told us that they'll spend about $3,000 shipping the boat to the foothills of the Himalayas, where the journey will begin near the source of the Ganges.
According to their website, "The Ganges snakes through an abundant farmland, producing largely cane sugar, which we plan to refine into ethanol with a floating still." The final destination is Varanasi, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, where they'll present "visual and musical events in collaboration with local musicians."
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Ganges
Gowanus
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the ocean of blood
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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