2020 has been the year when everything that could go wrong, did. But it wasn’t without its beautiful moments, and the reappearance of the Zipper Fastener Ship is one of them.
Between October 31 and November 8, the Zipper Fastener Ship made a surprise return into the spotlight, at the DESIGNART Tokyo 2020, as the centerpiece of an art installation aptly called “Opening the River,” which took place on the Sumida River in Japan. During this time, the boat traveled daily between Azumabashi and Sakurabashi in Tokyo Bay, offering onlookers what is probably one of the most soothing and relaxing views possible. A much welcome sight in these troubling times.
With some delay, you can now enjoy this amazing sight, thanks to the video available at the bottom of the page.
The Zipper Fastener Ship is a boat shaped like a zipper fastener, the creation of Japanese designer Yasuhiro Suziki. It’s a piece of art, so the focus was never on what type of boat it was underneath that fancy, chrome-colored body, propulsion or any other specs. But we do know this: Suziki got the idea after looking down on the water from an airplane window and noticing how boats usually part the waters just like a zipper opens a garment.
He decided to create a boat that would be the most literal take on that visual, so he created a zipper-fastener-shaped one. He debuted a small-scale prototype of the boat in 2010 and then, shortly afterward, the real thing. It goes without saying that some modifications were made along the way, most notably in making the boat bigger.
The current version measures 30 feet (9 meters) in length and is divided into two parts: the slide or car of the zipper, which is the actual boat, and the pull, which doesn’t seem to serve any other purpose than to complete the zipper resemblance.
In other words, this strangely-shaped boat has been around for many years, resurfacing every once in a while to delight the world. Here it is:
Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends. Full profile
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