Set sail in a folding fabric boat

Created by Thibault Penven, a student at Ecole Cantonale d’art de Lausanne (ECAL), Switzerland, the Ar Vag (which translates as “boat” in Brittany) is a folding fabric vessel with oars. Designed for use as a shuttle between the shore and a larger vessel, it functions well on a lake or in quiet seas for a short paddle or fishing trip. The hull consists of a series of fiberglass sheets covered with heat-welded plastic tarpaulin. To set sail, simply unfold the thin, light hull of the boat and stabilize it with the central bench, which functions as a keystone, giving the boat its final shape and making it comfortable. When open, the boat measures 240cm by 146cm by 40cm; closed it is less than half that size. The project was shown as part of the BE OPEN exhibition at design miami/basel 2012, Miami Beach, Fla. and Basel, Switzerland.