Get a wobble on and vote for Brunel’s ss Great Britain

A ship inspired wobbly jelly installation could be coming to Bristol… if people ‘get a wobble on’ and vote for Brunel’s ss Great Britain.

The Bristol attraction has been shortlisted in the national ‘Museums at Night’ ‘Connect10’ initiative. Brunel’s ss Great Britain is one of three attractions competing to win the opportunity to work with acclaimed artists Bompas and Parr.

Known as the ‘Jellymongers’, the creative duo has turned the nation’s favourite dessert into an art form. Past triumphs from Bompas and Parr have included St Paul’s Cathedral, Buckingham Palace and the ‘Gherkin’ building in jelly plus a cocktail lake.

Staff and volunteers are urging people to ‘get a wobble on’ and vote Brunel's ss Great Britain. Voting closes on March 5.

In total 10 artists will work with 10 museums for ‘Museums at Night’, which runs across the UK from May 18 to 20.

Each winning museum will work with their artist of choice and will receive a £500 bursary towards the cost of staging a special ‘Museums at Night’ event. Those who vote for winning entries have the chance to join the celebrations as VIP guests.

All ‘Museums at Night’ events are open to the public, but may be ticketed due to anticipated demand.

Whilst the ss Great Britain has inspired many artists over the last 168 years, these have worked with oil, pastel, watercolour or photography. If successful, this will be the first time artists have selected jelly as their media of choice.

The ss Great Britain Trust’s Director of Museum and Educational Services Rhian Tritton commented: “This is a highly imaginative and fun initiative which links museums, artists and galleries, to create new and exciting events for visitors.

“It would be truly extraordinary to see Brunel’s historic iron steamship modelled using translucent jelly. Jellymongers Bompas and Parr have taken inspiration from the Victorians and today combine technology, engineering and food science in their art. As far as we are concerned it is a marriage made in delicious dessert heaven.”

Ms Tritton added: “Winning this would help build on Bristol’s artistic reputation, and naturally follows the Banksy exhibition, the RWA’s work with Damien Hirst, and the ‘See No Evil’ street art. We hope people will vote to bring the Jellymongers Bompas and Parr to Bristol and to Brunel’s ss Great Britain. Please ‘get a wobble on’ and vote for Brunel’s ss Great Britain – the world’s first luxury liner – in jelly!”

In total 10 of the brightest artists are working with ‘Museums at Night’. They are Bompas and Parr, futuristic sculptor Claire Barclay, novelist Jon McGregor, contemporary taxidermist Polly Morgan, photographers Terry O’Neill, Magnum Martin Parr and Simon Roberts, and installation artists Bob and Roberta Smith, Ryan Gander and Susan Stockwell.

Brunel’s ss Great Britain has won more than 30 major awards including the UK’s biggest arts award the ‘Gulbenkian Prize’ (now renamed the ‘Arts Fund Prize for museums and galleries’) in 2006.

‘Museums at Night’ and the ‘Connect10’ initiative is supported by Culture 24 and the Arts Council.

Click here to vote to bring the ‘Jellymongers’ Bompas and Parr to Bristol and Brunel’s ss Great Britain (opens in a new window).

For full competition details please visit culture24.org.uk.