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A brightly coloured ferry named “Snowdrop” carries passengers across the water. The boat is decorated with bold geometric patterns, including stars, stripes and a red and blue checkerboard. In the background, the Royal Liver Building stands against a pale sky.

Sir Peter Blake's designed a dazzle ship and it looks bloody ace!

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Date
2 April 2015

Sir Peter Blake has designed this fabulous dazzle ship, a Mersey Ferry that will carry commuter passengers for the next two years. Named Everybody Razzle Dazzle, Sir Peter says it’s his “largest artwork to date,” and that he was “honoured and excited to have been asked to design a dazzle image for the iconic Mersey Ferry.”

The designs will remain on the ship, Snowdrop, for the next two years, carrying passengers as usual but also hosting dip lays about the role of Mersey Ferries in the First World War. The dazzle camouflage was invented by artist Norman Wilkinson, and works by misleading the enemy through patterns that make it difficult to estimate a target’s range, speed and direction. This ferry, however, shouldn’t have any of those sort of concerns to deal with, and has instead been commissioned as part of the Liverpool Biennial, 14-18 NOW: First World War Centenary Art Commissions and Tate Liverpool.

A brightly coloured boat sails across a grey river under a cloudy sky. The vessel is covered in bold geometric patterns and stripes, with a string of colourful flags hanging from its mast.
Above

Mark McNulty: Everybody Razzle Dazzle

A person waves from the deck of a brightly coloured boat. The vessel is painted in bold stripes of blue, yellow and red, with a black and white diamond pattern along the hull.
Above

Mark McNulty: Everybody Razzle Dazzle

A brightly coloured boat named “Snowdrop” sails through the water, its hull decorated with bold geometric patterns and stars. A group of people stand on the upper deck, looking out towards the Royal Liver Building in Liverpool.
Above

Mark McNulty: Everybody Razzle Dazzle

A brightly coloured boat, decorated with bold geometric patterns and stripes, sails across a river. A string of colourful flags flies from the mast, and the word “Snowdrop” is visible on the bow. In the background, the city skyline of Liverpool is visible under a clear blue sky.
Above

Mark McNulty: Everybody Razzle Dazzle

A person in a black suit stands on a boat, looking across the water towards a city skyline. In the background, the Royal Liver Building and other historic waterfront structures rise against a pale sky.
Above

Mark McNulty: Everybody Razzle Dazzle

A brightly coloured boat sails across a grey river under a cloudy sky. The vessel is covered in bold geometric patterns and stripes, with a string of colourful flags hanging from its mast.
Above

Gareth Jones: Everybody Razzle Dazzle

A person with glasses and a beard sits on a curved wooden bench, holding a walking stick. Behind them is a bright blue and yellow circular structure with windows on the deck of a boat.
Above

Gareth Jones: Everybody Razzle Dazzle

A person with a white beard and glasses stands on a dock, leaning on a walking stick. Behind them is a brightly coloured boat decorated in bold primary colours and black-and-white checkers.
Above

Gareth Jones: Everybody Razzle Dazzle

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About the Author

Emily Gosling

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Emily joined It’s Nice That as Online Editor in the summer of 2014 after four years at Design Week. She is particularly interested in graphic design, branding and music. After working It's Nice That as both Online Editor and Deputy Editor, Emily left the company in 2016.

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