ARTS+ENTERTAINMENT
Cornelia Parker.
The Folkestone Mermaid
Tracey Emin. Jacket
Yoko Ono’s Earth Peace
Pablo Bronstein’s Beach Hut
in the Style of Nicholas Hawksmoor
Sarah Staton’s Steve at Folkestone Harbour
Folkestone Artworks New Edition
Folkestone Artworks is a collection of 27 contemporary artworks, which are on
permanent display in public spaces around Folkestone, 24 hours a day, 365 days
a year. The collection aims to deliver an experience of contemporary art beyond
the gallery, to encourage different ways of seeing, learning and thinking about
contemporary art, free of charge.
Folkestone Artworks includes work by artists as celebrated as Turner Prize
nominee, Tracey Emin, whose seven-part sculpture, Baby Things, is a
tender, subtle, yet poignant response to her perception of the prevalence
of teenage pregnancies in the town. 2007 Turner Prize winner, Mark
Wallinger’s, Folk Stones has a profound underpinning of 19,240 numbered
stones; the exact number of soldiers killed on the first day of the Battle of
the Somme in 1916. This can be found close to the Leas Cliff Hall.
Situated on the highest point of Folkestone's historical building, The Grand,
is artist and activist Yoko Ono’s Morse code light. This beacon signals Earth
Peace to ships passing through the channel and communicates peace
towards France. Michael Sailstorfer’s Folkestone Dig, which received
international press coverage, will remain as a site to dig for gold, as only
eight of the 30 piece of bullion were officially found.
The collection recognises the need to engage with local people as well as
national and international visitors, and so provides numerous opportunities
for the public to actively participate. As the town has no gallery or museum,
Folkestone represents a “gallery without walls”, aiming to bring art of the
highest calibre to the widest group of people. Residents and visitors alike
are encouraged to develop an appreciation of art and the town’s cultural
achievements, and through this, a pride of place. The public programme
therefore includes walking tours, events and participation in workshops.
It even includes a dog’s play park, Pae White’s Barking Rocks, situated just
off The Leas in Pleydell Gardens. Internationally acclaimed Kent-based artist,
Hamish Fulton, has created a metal sign in the harbour area, mapping the
31 water-related walks he has made from coast to coast, river to river, and
coast to river, across the British Isles and Western Europe over his 40-year
career.
Since the 2014 Folkestone Triennial, Lookout, nine artworks have been
added to Folkestone Artworks. This includes the iconic coastal sculpture,
Beach Hut in the Style of Nicholas Hawksmoor, by artist Pablo Bronstein,
which adds an unexpected morsel of English Baroque architecture to the
Folkestone beachfront.
Folkestone Artworks’ aim is to maximise access to and enjoyment and
understanding of contemporary art, ensuring that all who encounter it gain
the greatest benefit from their experience. For more information and to
download a map, go to www.folkestoneartworks.co.uk.
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