Artist creates actual Ghost Ship as tribute in Emeryville

Chris Edwards created a literal ghost ship to honor those who died in the Ghost Ship fire. Chris Edwards created a literal ghost ship to honor those who died in the Ghost Ship fire. Photo: Courtesy Chris Edwards Photo: Courtesy Chris Edwards Image 1 of / 10 Caption Close Artist creates actual Ghost Ship as tribute in Emeryville 1 / 10 Back to Gallery

Appearing mysteriously overnight and bobbing on top of the waves of the Emeryville harbor, an all-black ship is serving as a memorial for those who died in the Ghost Ship warehouse fire six months ago.

The guerilla art piece is the work of local artist-slash-"mad scientist" Chris Edwards, who counts himself among the many young people navigating the underground arts and music scene of the Bay Area who have turned up at the occasional party hosted at the warehouse.

Edwards, like many others in the community, knew someone who perished in the fire that claimed the lives of 36 people. In the months since the tragedy, Edwards became an active voice in the community, fighting for affordable housing for artists in the aftermath of artist spaces being shut down by local government. It was during this time that he hatched his plan to build the ship.

"I spent a lot of time in Oakland City Hall pushing to stop the shutdown of these do-it-yourself spaces for young artists, and I quickly realized that the community needed something positive to reflect on," Edwards said in an interview with SFGATE.

"We had the vigil along Lake Merritt, but I hadn't seen many permanent art installations, except for one mural. So I slowly put together the funds over the last six months and designed [the art piece] when I could."

Cobbling together $800, Edwards, with the help of friends Tom Koshi, Bryan Davis, Jim Davis and Tiffany H. Case, built the ship at his Richmond home over the course of two weeks before installing it in the waters off of Frontage Road this week.

"It's been very cathartic building something," Edwards said of the experience. "While I was building this, I was listening to pirate punk music and thinking of it as a pirate ship, not a ghost ship, just so that it would be enjoyable to make. It wasn't until the last minute that it was difficult for me. It was a process and, again, it's been very cathartic and released a lot of negative energy."

IN MEMORIAM: Remembering the Oakland warehouse fire victims

Building the artwork was a cathartic experience for Edwards, but is possibly bringing some peace to others in the community. With the words "Ghost Ship" emblazoned on its side in glow-in-the-dark paint, the 15-foot boat has already been gaining attention.

In his visits since the ship was placed in the water — Edwards has been working on repairing parts of the ship damaged during installation — he has since run into people taking a moment to look at the ship in remembrance.

"I asked around a lot before deciding to do this, to see if the reminder was too heavy," Edwards said of building the ship. "All the feedback I got was positive. A young woman I saw here was laying down these flowers; she found it very peaceful to be able to sit and watch it from the shore."

A post shared by Chris Edwards (@front.lines.sfbay) on Jun 6, 2017 at 12:11pm PDT

Edwards said he is hoping the ship will serve as a reminder of those from the arts and LGBTQ community who were lost in the fire, especially given that June is Pride Month. He hopes to continue making improvements and additions to the boat in the upcoming months.

"It's un-permanent — it's a guerrilla art piece — and I fear someone taking it down or damaging it, but I'm hoping that won't happen," Edwards said.

"I'd really like people to go to the memorial, leave flowers and their own art, and to enjoy the peaceful bobbing of the boat in the water," he added.