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In October, Bermuda played host for the first time to the Louis Vuitton America's Cup World Series, a yacht racing circuit which will culminate in a final that is to be held on the island in 2017. Sailors complete on foiling, wing-sailed 45ft catamarans known as AC45s.
To commemorate the race, a competition was held encouraging artists and designers to create the trophy. The competition was won by Bermudian multi-disciplinary creative studio Uber Super Duper whose creative director Sami Lill conceived a design that is based on the concept of balance, this being an integral part of the sport of sailing as well as a metaphor for the give and take between human engineering and the forces of nature. Lill wanted to create a truly local award, so the trophy was made in Bermuda using the knowledge and skill of local residents including woodworker Vibio Festa, fishermen Blake and Jim West, artist Desmond Fountain and engineer Bill Andrews amongst others.
The trophy is made from silicone bronze, a material used mainly for sculptures and marine construction and features a replica of an AC45 balancing on its hydrofoil on top of a hollow sphere. It is kinetic (see video after the jump) but has been weighted to balance on its own. The counterweight inside the trophy was created by experimenting with smelting lead from various local sources including a keel from an International One Design Fleet (the oldest actively raced fleet in Bermuda), a Bermuda fisherman's downrigger ball and the reclaimed sash weight of an old Bermuda cottage.
The finished piece weighs just over 10 pounds and lists at exactly 32 degrees which is the latitude of Bermuda on the globe.
The trophy is made from silicone bronze, a material used mainly for sculptures and marine construction and features a replica of an AC45 balancing on its hydrofoil on top of a hollow sphere. It is kinetic (see video after the jump) but has been weighted to balance on its own. The counterweight inside the trophy was created by experimenting with smelting lead from various local sources including a keel from an International One Design Fleet (the oldest actively raced fleet in Bermuda), a Bermuda fisherman's downrigger ball and the reclaimed sash weight of an old Bermuda cottage.
The finished piece weighs just over 10 pounds and lists at exactly 32 degrees which is the latitude of Bermuda on the globe.
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| Uber Super Duper |
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