Island Room
Island Room takes it’s name from the ballroom on board the S.S. Canberra, a luxury cruise liner which was part of the P&O fleet from 1961 to 1997. The installation includes a dance floor and a seating area, inviting the viewer to interact with the work, which also functions as an event space. Amy’s great-grandfather, Frederick Harold-Smith had a workshop in Southampton where he was a coach-trimmer. He often worked for P&O on board the liners like the S.S. Canberra to upholster the ships fittings and, among other things, the chairs in the Island Room. Having researched the ballroom, uncovering images and accounts of the glamorous furnishings and floors, Amy designed and built her own Island Room, re-connecting with her grandfather’s trade and practice in the process. The work responds to the theme of this year’s programme, GHT: Beside the Sea, which prompts us to consider how significant changes to the shoreline have shaped our modern city. It explores the relationship between the grandiose interiors of mid-century cruise-liners, the tradesmen who built them and the passengers who enjoyed their luxurious surroundings.
