To commemorate the centennial of World War I’s end, New York City’s Public Art Fund invited Tauba Auerbach (TAW-buh OW-er-bahk) to paint a historic 130-foot fireboat. The artist reinterprets a design technique a British naval officer invented during the war: dazzle camouflage. The British painted their sailing vessels to mimic the sea’s colors and patterns. This made it difficult for enemies to track a ship’s direction, course, and speed. Auerbach paints traditional dizzying patterns on the boat but adds an unexpected twist: She uses bright red so the boat stands out in the water. “I think we should remember—not just celebrate— what this war meant for people for the last hundred years,” the artist says.