To pull off the most ambitious and adventurous mural project in history. Artist Tristan Eaton has been given approval to paint the historic Red Sands Sea Forts off the coast of the UK with a team of world renowned street artists. The entire project will be recorded on multiple platforms, and will be immortalized in a full-length documentary film.
“These forts are a timeless symbol of resistance. Whether it’s fighting the tyranny of the Nazis during WWII or fighting censorship in their Pirate Radio days in the 60’s – they’ve always been on the frontline of defense against oppression. This makes them a perfect icon for the spirit of the street art & graffiti movement and I think it’s important to share their story with a new generation.” – Tristan Eaton
Tristan Eaton has assembled the perfect team for the job: Shepard Fairey, Futura 2000, How & Nosm, and The London Police. These artists are the best street artists the world has to offer. But it will take all their experience combined to tackle this ginormous task, all while hanging from a rope and harness high over the surging tides of the North Sea.
The Painted Oceans Documentary Film will follow the trajectory of this project through the eyes of our visionary artists. We will follow them from beginning to end, from their homes to the forts and back, capturing all the ups and downs along the way as they live on the forts for a month during this epic, historic adventure. We hope to tell a very personal story as the artist go against the odds and risk everything to paint murals in the middle of the ocean.
Eight miles off the coast of England, the remains of seven historic sea forts sit dormant. The Painted Oceans project represents just another notch in the sea fort’s belt of cultural and historical significance. Since defending Great Britain against the Nazis in WWII, the forts have found themselves repeatedly in the spotlight. From their Pirate Radio notoriety in the 1960s to roles in feature films, the forts have never quite died away.
The longevity and restoration of the Red Sands Sea Forts is our top priority. However, without a huge influx of support and attention, these forts could fall into the ocean forever. That’s where we come in.
PAINTED OCEANS is rallying all of our resources and the global community for Street Art and Public Art to shed light on these beautiful structures to keep them alive for another generation to enjoy. The process of painting murals on the forts brings unprecedented benefits to their long term survival. In addition to connecting all of the forts by light weight bridges for the first time since the ’60s, which will allow access to historic elements of the interiors, the PAINTED OCEANS team has also brought on partners to investigate the structural restoration necessary for their ultimate restoration and survival. The Project Redsand Trust has long term goals to convert a selection of the forts into a museum dedicated to their heritage. We are 100% in support of this goal and are using all of our resources to make this happen.
At the end of the day, our murals are nothing but a coat of paint, but the grand sum of our efforts and our love and dedication will hopefully effect the Red Sands Sea Forts forever.