Hales Gallery is pleased to announce Hew Locke's The Tourists, a major new intervention at HMS Belfast, London, organised by the Imperial War Museums (IWM) in conjunction with Locke's solo exhibition at IWM London.
In 1962, at the height of the Cold War, HMS Belfast was making her last international voyage. The ship called at Trinidad exactly three months after Carnival. Locke imagines an alternative history with the ship arriving in time for these celebrations. By altering the ship’s normal displays he shows us the crew preparing to take part, preparing elaborate costumes, masks and props. Locke’s work expresses the joys, fears and dangers the sailors felt and experienced while at sea and furthermore brings into question HMS Belfast’s role as a military vessel, and the political and social impact she had on the people and places she encountered.
Hew Locke
The Tourists
26 March - 7 June 2015 (updated closing date)
HMS Belfast
The Queen's Walk
London
SE1 2JH
