pop up ships by fares+carter transform a public space in victoria harbour

located along the inner harbour of victoria on vancouver island, canada, the pop-up ships are a temporary public installation developed by architects marie-claude fares and peter carter. the project features playful outdoor seating furniture that take on the shape of origami paper boats. 

pop up ships at the victoria harbour

whimsical and evocative, the winning project of marie-Claude fares & peter carter for the ship point pop up design competition scales up childhood paper boats to oversized sculptures that draw people to the area, creating a vibrant space to explore and relax. constructed from exterior grade signage plywood, steel, concrete, sails, and paint, the pop up ships were conceived, designed, and installed in just over 2 months.

the gradiant colored ground beneath the pop up ships illustrates the different depths of the ocean

designed as benches, the pop up ships create personal vessels to ‘sail’ away for a few minutes — or an entire afternoon —  in the sun atop the vibrant blue surface. the oversized sculptural piece, called beacon, indicates the presence of the installation from afar and directs passersby. the material, size and lighting of this large structure invites exploration and play, as well as framing views of the inner harbour. created with custom-made sailcloth wrapped around a steel frame and weighted down with concrete blocks, the beacon also comes alive at night with programmable interior LED lights that reflect off the sail cloth.

video courtsey of marie-claude fares

the smaller white pop up ships are variations of the proposed theme, with a modular base and individual sail configurations that allow for different uses —  from a small sail and large surface to spread out on, to a tall sail that is ideal for lounging against and enjoying the views. the stark white material used reflects the brilliant gradient-blue of the painted ground plane, simulating depth from the shoreline.
 furthermore, the construction and simple forms of the installation allow it to be moved around the site if required, or removed for large events.

tanning on the pop up ships during a bright sunny day

designed for play, relaxation and interaction

some pieces come with a short sail and large surface, others with a taller sail and narrow base

LED lighting creates a focal point for the largest structure — the beacon

  video courtsey of marie-claude fares

hues of blue, from natural and artificial lighting

overview during early evening

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: lea zeitoun | designboom