“He found himself in the strange predicament all sailors share: essentially he belonged neither to the land nor to the sea. Possibly a man who hates the land should dwell on shore forever. Alienation and the long voyages at sea will compel him once again to dream of it, torment him with the absurdity of longing for something that he loathes.”
―
Yukio Mishima The Sailor Who Fell from Grace With the Sea
Does it matter that it went to sea and steered a ship of considerable size from continent to continent? Does it matter that it experienced storms and the people around it feared for their lives grasping it's handles with assured skill and strength ? Does it matter that it smells of salt water and the years of use has opened it's wood-grain, soaked in the sweat and grime from dirty work-warn hands. If we are to make a pirates ship to carry us into an imaginary sea then the past life of steering a true path may impart a degree of authenticity.
When steering a ship, the wheel has a delayed response and the captain must always remain vigilant and prepared. She has an intimate and close relationship to the object, like a musician and an instrument or a photographer and a camera. The body connects to certain objects in a more specific way, it extends the person into the world. Of all the parts of a pirate ship that need an element of authenticity, the wheel is the most important. Our ships wheel, salvaged from the world of antique maritime memorabilia will be liberated and again help us navigate complex journeys within the sea of imaginations.
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