'Collective Spirit' In Brighton

A boat made out of 1,200 pieces of wood, including a plank from the London 2012 velodrome, hockey sticks, a toy helicopter, and a piece of Jimi Hendrix's guitar, is touring the South Coast to mark the 2012 Olympics

The boat, christened 'Collective Spirit,' was built with a grant from the Arts Council England's Artists' Taking the Lead project and donations of wood artifacts from the public. Each piece had to have a story behind it.

Using a framework of stripped cedar planks, the team created a waterproof hull and cut each of the donations carefully until they fitted together like a jigsaw. They were then glued on the hull, sanded down, and sealed with laminating resin,

The donations include a piece of the 'Mary Rose,' part of Brighton's West Pier, a section of a guitar played by Jimi Hendrix, plus hockey sticks and a Policeman's truncheon.

Also taking their place in history are large crates used to transport British securities, aka gold, to Canada during World War II, a salad server in the shape of a spanner and a hairbrush used by a make-up artist at Pinewood Studios in the 1960's.

The boat took Gary Winters, Gregg Whelan, and their team a year to build at a harbour near Chichester, and is capable of reaching speeds in excess of 20 knots.

The boat arrived in Brighton at the weekend and is moored at Pontoon 6 of Brighton Marina until May 27th. It will also spend time in Hastings