The Boat Builders - Bradley Watson - 3rd year Apprentice Sprayer

I met Brad on my visit to Berton Boatyard before Christmas. After spending sometime with the Shipwrights, I was taken to another enormous shed filled with a white vessel that was in for repairs, we climbed the scaffolding up to the deck. There was quite a hive of activity, Brad was on the top of the boat, right up in the rafters, clipped on and in his white PPE. He sat crossed legged up above me while we chatted about his route to becoming an apprentice and his future plans. The monotony of the task in hand, rubbing down this huge yacht was not lost on me.

The Boat Builders a new body of work by Emily Jo Gibbs for solo exhibition in the spring 2020.

This new series of portraits documents Foreman and their Apprentices working at Berthon Boatyard in Lymington. Highlighting the Value of Making and the importance of skilled labour. A celebration of people who prefer a hands-on approach, whose knowledge and skill is gained through the doing, learnt through making.

St Barbe Museum and Gallery, Lymington, SO41 9BH

NEW DATES 15 January - 26 February 2022

This project is being supported by Arts Council England.