Because of the boat’s unique detached position – surrounded by water when at sea, at least – the quality of light is like no other Left, from top Martin Creed’s light installation Feelings flickers over the bed in the upper deck; at night, the windows surrounding the squared seating area become opaque, reflecting an ultraviolet blue in the mirrors behind; Jeff Koons based the exterior artwork on First World War ‘dazzle’ camouflage. Right the lightreflecting lounge displays pieces including Anish Kapoor’s mirrored Crate on the wall, and the fragmented glass Brasilia table by Fernando and Humberto Campana for Edra. Beside the latter is the resin Bone chaise longue by Joris Laarman for Droog
Floating sensation
In his desire for a seaworthy showcase for his collection of modern art, a Greek billionaire has really pushed the boat out. By Claire Bingham. Photographs by Andrea Ferrari
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s far as interior design goes, private yachts are often disappointing spaces, anonymous and bland. But one craft is making waves in the Mediterranean for its unique style. The 114ft three-tier yacht Guilty was commissioned by the Greek industrialist Dakis Joannou, built by the Italian company Cantieri Navali Rizzardi and designed by the Italian interior designer Ivana Porfiri. It is breathtakingly daring in its attempt to break out of the mould of traditional boat design. ‘The project was always going to be more than a run-of-the-mill yacht design,’ Porfiri explains. Indeed, why have a porthole when you can have
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floor-to-ceiling windows with a jaw-dropping view? ‘From the beginning, we forgot about conventional notions of boat design and focused on a design that was simple, but not obvious. We knew that art would be fundamental to the project, rather than just part of the subsequent decoration.’ Joannou is one of Europe’s foremost contemporary art patrons whose collections have been exhibited at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris and Christie’s auction house in London. The yacht was born out of his desire not only to exhibit works, but also to live with them. Joannou is good friends with the American artist Jeff Koons, the master of kitsch who is
responsible for the spectacular angular artwork that covers the yacht’s exterior. When Joannou showed Koons the boat drawings, Koons suggested a camouflage approach. Taking his lead from the prints of Roy Lichtenstein and the First World War ‘dazzle’ camouflage pattern by the British marine artist Norman Wilkinson, Koons created a motif that features overlapping blocks of squared, sharp lines. His aim was to transform the shape of the vessel and to create unexpected perspectives of the boat from different angles. Porfiri took care of the interiors and collaborated with Joannou to make art an intrinsic feature of the yacht. Inside, it is crammed with
site-specific installations. Sarah Morris’s Guilty (1996), after which the boat is named, takes pride of place in one of the four bedrooms. Set off against the backdrop of polished white Corian in the lounge on the main deck is Anish Kapoor’s Crate, a round concave dish comprising several hexagonal mirror tiles. It reflects and reverses the surrounding space and views. ‘The interior and exterior design were made with attention to specific elements, such as the materials, the reflections, the movement, the light, and the water,’ Porfiri says. ‘What is important is the feeling you have by being there, which is completely different from the experience a loft T E L E G R A P H
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Left, from top a video installation by Nathalie Djurberg plays on the wall of the VIP cabin on the lower deck; the overt camouflage; light floods into one of the yacht’s staircases. Right concertina-ing fabric divides the bed from the ensuite behind, and rolled-up white fabric reveals the bedside lamps, by Acus for Betec. Below right David Shrigley’s stickmen were painted directly on to the guest bedroom walls; shimmery metallic curtains divide the decked terrace from the lounge; pink acrylic wall panels in the guest bathrooms stand out in an otherwise all-white interior
By using a motif of overlapping blocks of squared, sharp lines, Jeff Koons transformed the shape of the vessel
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apartment can provide.’ And because of the boat’s unique detached position – surrounded by water when at sea, at least – the quality of light is like no other. Shimmery metallic curtains divide the upper-deck terrace from the lounge, where glass and mirrored furniture, such as the Campana brothers’ Brasilia table for Edra, bounces coloured light across the walls, floor and ceiling. The lower deck accommodates the guest cabins, and here the otherwise all-white interior is punctuated by juicy yellow and pink acrylic wall panels that divide the shower cubicles in the guest bathrooms. On the upper deck, where the owner’s area is located, the pulsing and flickering Feelings artwork by Martin Creed bounces off the stainless-steel-panelled walls. The 180-degree view combined with the reflected light creates the illusion of limitless space. ‘Guilty is a radical prototype on which I experimented,’ Porfiri says. ‘But it was a serious experiment, not an exercise in style or an attempt to be eccentric.’ porfiristudio.com T E L E G R A P H
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