Essential information

Location
Key Stage Key Stage 2
School Subject Art, Geography, History
Resource Type
Classroom activity

These resources support KS2 students to explore the artwork ‘Nelson’s Ship in a Bottle’ by Yinka Shonibare CBE. The information, images and videos can be incorporated into lessons linked to the following themes: Migration, Citizenship, Black Histories, Art and Design.

Artist Profile

Yinka Shonibare CBE was born in London and moved to Lagos in Nigeria when he was 3.

He returned to London to study fine art and today he is an internationally renowned artist and has exhibited his work all over the world.

He uses lots of different media to create his work including painting, sculpture, photography, film and performance.

What does Yinka Shonibare say about ‘Nelson’s Ship in a Bottle’?

‘For me, it’s a celebration of London’s immense ethnic wealth, giving expression to and honouring the many cultures and ethnicities that are still breathing precious wind into the sails of the United Kingdom.’

Explore below to find out all about ‘Nelson’s Ship in a Bottle’.

Watch a film about the artwork

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Did you know?

The ship is a detailed, scaled-down replica of Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson's flagship HMS Victory.

Victory was Nelson’s flag ship in The Battle of Trafalgar in 1805.

It has 80 cannons and 37 sails set as on the day of battle.

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Where are the patterned sails from?

The patterned fabric used to make the sails is often associated with African dress and identity today but it has a complex history linked to colonialism, industrialisation and emigration. It was first inspired by Indonesian batik, mass-produced by Dutch traders and then sold in West Africa. Yinka Shonibare bought the pieces of fabric for the sails from Brixton market in London.

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What is the message of this artwork?

Yinka Shonibare uses batik fabric associated with British colonies to create the sails on the replica of this famous naval ship to show the complicated relationship between Britain and West Africa. This artwork questions Britain’s use of the sea to gain power over other nations while also celebrating the diversity this interaction has resulted in.

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How is Batik Fabric made?

Traditional batik uses wax and dye to create patterns. The wax stops the fabric absorbing the dye, revealing the colour beneath. Another layer of wax can be added in between each colour dye. At the end of the process the wax is removed from the fabric.

Create your own pattern

Learn how to create your own pattern

  1. Choose three colours.
  2. Think of a symbol or set of symbols to include in your pattern.  These could be objects or shapes that show your interests or personality.
  3. Create a square or a diamond with your shapes, symbols and colours.
  4. A pattern is a repeating design so repeat your square or diamond.

Learn about traditional West African fabric

Significance of colour

In West Africa, Indigo is a natural dye traditionally used to get a deep blue colour. 

From the Tuareg nomads of the Sahara to the grassland kingdoms of Cameroon, indigo cloth signified wealth, abundance, and fertility.

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Colour in Kente cloth

The Akan people of Southern Ghana weave colourful Kente cloth. The different colours each have meanings:

Blue: love, harmony, togetherness, and peace

Silver: associated with the Moon, peace, purity, and joy

Red: sacrificial rites, bloodshed, and death

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Pattern

A pattern is a repeating design.

Different patterns can be created using various resist dyeing techniques.

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Adire textiles

The Yoruba people in southwestern Nigeria use three different dyeing techniques to create patterns on their Adire textiles: 

  • Onikan
  • Alabere
  • Eleko
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Olokun design

The 'Olokun' design is named for the Goddess of the sea and wealth and is still amongst the most popular of all Adire cloth designs.

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Ukara cloth

Ukara cloth is worn by members of the Ekpe secret society in southeastern Nigeria and western Cameroon.

Plain cotton cloth is covered in nsibidi symbols, which are sewn with raffia thread to create a resist.

The cloth is then dipped in indigo dye and hung to dry. When the threads are cut, the nsibidi designs stand out white against a deep blue background.

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Nsibidi symbols

Nsibidi writing is indigenous to what is now southeastern Nigeria. 

It uses symbols or pictograms, graphic symbols that represent a physical object, to create a written language. 

The icons you see on your computers are a type of pictogram.

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Bògòlanfini

Bògòlanfini is also known as 'mud cloth' and is a handmade Malian cotton fabric traditionally dyed with fermented mud. 

It has an important place in traditional Malian culture and has, more recently, become a symbol of Malian cultural identity.

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Material

Cotton is widely grown in Africa. 

As a major cash crop, it has considerable social and economic importance to Nigeria. Its production in Nigeria dates back to 1903 with the British Cotton Growers Association.

It is still mostly farmed by hand. Cotton is spun into thread using a spindle.

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Over to you!

Can you design a fabric for your community to wear to an important event? 

  • What patterns might you use to symbolise your community? 
  • What meanings do colours have for you?
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