P&O Cruises, Britain�s market-leading cruise line, has commissioned over 3,000 pieces of modern British art for display on its latest superliner, Arcadia. The multi-million pound collection will showcase the work of more than 50 of Britain�s most celebrated contemporary artists. The 85,000-tonne Arcadia, the largest cruise ship to be designed and built for British holidaymakers, will become the country�s largest floating art gallery when it enters service in April 2005.

The featured artists, selected by Elstone Hayes Associates on behalf of P&O Cruises, reflect the best contemporary art available in Britain today. The collection, taking in artists from as far apart as the Shetlands and St. Ives, will showcase work from all disciplines including sculpture, ceramics, glasswork and painting. Amongst the widely-exhibited artists commissioned for Arcadia are Dame Elizabeth Blackadder, Neil Wilkin, Archibald McIntosh, Charles Mac Queen, Leon Morrocco and Marj Bond*.

Passengers on board the new Arcadia will be able to view the artworks on display throughout the ship�s public areas. Pieces range in size from two metre-high stainless steel water fountain in the central swimming pool by Jon Ashworth to intricate designs in glass and ceramics on display in the ship�s atrium. Signature pieces include a tapestry by Dame Elizabethn Blackadder, which was cut from its cloth in a ceremony in Dovecott Studios, Edinburgh, on 4th October.

Nigel Esdale, Commercial Director for P&O Cruises, comments, �P&O Cruises is proud to be working with the very best contemporary artists working in Britain today. This collection, created especially for Arcadia, is entirely in keeping with Arcadia�s status as Britain�s latest and most modern superliner. Arcadia will offer her passengers the same high level of comfort and service that P&O Cruises has honed over the past 160 years but with a forward-looking style all of her own, combining innovation and inspiration on a grand scale. �

Another feature of the collection is a series of photographs by Calum McIntosh. McIntosh, who has undertaken commissions from Saatchi & Saatchi and Whitbread, is currently touring the world capturing images of famous cities such as Cairo, Cape Town, Florence, Melbourne and New Orleans. His work will be displayed in Arcadia�s suites and minisuites, each bearing the name of a city he has photographed.

Press Contacts: Clare Cole (clare.cole@pocruises.com) Direct line: 023 8065 6650

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Editor�s notes *Artists profiles: Dame Elizabeth Blackadder was appointed Her Majesty�s painter and Limner in Scotland in 2001 and holds honorary doctorates from four Scottish Universities. Based in Edinburgh, she is a member of both the Royal Scottish Academy and The Royal Glasgow Institute of Fine Arts. Neil Wilkin creates contemporary blown glass art for gardens, residential and public spaces and is regarded as the best hot glass maker in Britain today. His work is currently installed or exhibited in eight separate exhibitions in the UK, Netherlands and Belgium.

Archibold McIntosh is a painter of international reputation whose work is held in a number of important collections nationally and internationally, as well as in the private collections of Pete Townsend and Griff RhysJones. Charles MacQueen is an elected member of the Royal Glasgow Institute and the Royal Society of Painters in Watercolour and has exhibited widely in places such as The Open Eye Gallery in London and The Adam Gallery in Bath. His work can currently be found in the Moorhouse Gallery in Oxfordshire.

Leon Morrocco�s colourful paintings are held in international private and public collections including those of the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, the late HRH Princess Margaret and the Australian Government. Marj Bond is an elected member of The Royal Society of Painters in Watercolour and The Scottish Society of Artists. Having studied painting and drawing at the Glasgow School of Art, she is now a renowned artist noted for her brilliant use of colour and composition.

P&O Cruises has been operating cruise ships for more than 160 years and combines innovation, professionalism and unrivalled experience on its fleet of four superliners that is dedicated to the British market. Arcadia will carry 1968 passengers and 880 crew and have more cabins with balconies than any other UK-based cruise ship. A child-free ship, she will offer an extensive range of modern and innovative �lifestyle� experiences, including an extensive spa, a contemporary Asian/Oriental fusion restaurant and Arcadian Rhodes, a unique and exclusive dining experience created by Gary Rhodes.