The utopian ideal of a world where people of all races, religious beliefs and cultural backgrounds could live in harmony is particularly resonant at a time when severe global conflicts are dominating headlines and demanding resolutions. So it's particularly appropriate timing for the unveiling of the newest masterwork from Russian-born, New York City–based conceptual artists Ilya and Emilia Kabakov, who focus on themes of universal connectivity. On September 27, The Ship of Tolerance, a boat that has been installed in far-flung locales from Siwa, Egypt, to Sharjah, Iraq, and shown in Venice, Italy, and Havana, will be docked beneath the Brooklyn Bridge as part of the DUMBO Arts Festival.The Kabakovs are known for their way of engaging the public through collaborations with museums, galleries and public spaces, but the ship is on a different level. At every stop, the boat is assembled on-site by local craftspeople and shipbuilders, but its defining feature is its sails. In each city, the artist duo enlists the help of local schoolchildren to create drawings that will become the sails; for the Brooklyn launch, the Kabakovs partnered with the Studio in a School and received more than 1000 submissions for the 150 slots available. The boat will be christened with a sail-raising celebration that will bring together for the first time many of the children who participated in the project; they'll find out then which paintings were chosen to create the sail. The same day, the will present a free concert featuring student performers from LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts in New York, the Berkeley Carroll School in Brooklyn and the Spivakov Foundation in Moscow and Havana. Following a nine-day stint in DUMBO, the ship will move to , on Roosevelt Island (October 6–8), and will be on view at Staten Island's Atlantic Salt Yard (October 9–13). Emilia Kabakov recently talked with nycgo.com about the project's process and production, and how children share the same passions and ideals all over the world.
