Heaven Is A Place Where Nothing Ever Happens, Nathan Coley. © Dawn Marshallsay/ Culture 24
Folkestone might not be heaven, but that depends very much on how you interpret one of 22 international artists who have created public art installations for the first Folkestone Triennial.
Nathan Coley’s ambiguous illuminated text sculpture, 'Heaven Is A Place Where Nothing Ever Happens', raises questions about the town surrounding it.
If this Turner Prize nominee is suggesting nothing bad ever happens in heaven, then Folkestone’s high teenage pregnancy rate and the demolition of its Rotunda Amusement Park (both referenced by artists in the Triennial) are just a couple of factors dislodging Folkestone’s halo.
On the other hand, if Coley thinks heaven is a place where nothing radical or daring happens, then Folkestone’s new festival may shake off the town's reputation as a haven of heavenly peace for the retired. Interpret this sculpture as you will.
Sections of the crazy-golf course take the form of beach huts for Richard Wilson's 18 Holes sculpture. © Dawn Marshallsay/ Culture 24
The Triennial seems to be about innovative use of the town's spaces for new artworks, and taking this ethos to its heart a giant seagull on wheels is currently rolling through Folkestone’s streets. There are also sections of the crazy-golf course from the sadly demolished amusement park that have been made into beach huts, and are now standing on the promenade.
And it's not all outside - galleries are getting in on the act too - inside the Metropole Gallery, thousands of cheap plastic sunglasses from Brazil’s Sao Paulo rotate to a silent tune where ballroom dancers once spun.
Sunglasses spin in the Metropole Gallery, for David Batchellor's Disco Mécanique. © Dawn Marshallsay/ Culture 24
Trying to locate Mark Dion's ‘Mobile Gull Appreciation Unit’ is a great excuse to soak up the sun, if only you could borrow a trendy pair of specs from David Batchellor's installation.
Further artistic interventions are disturbing the peace across the seaside town including tree stumps that bark when dogs sit on them, benches on the Leas that recite WWI letters and bikes that blast out ‘opera’ music.
Mark Dion's Mobile Gull Appreciation Unit contains a small library on the creature. © Dawn Marshallsay/ Culture 24
'Regeneration, Redevelopment, Revitalisation' is a perfect slogan for the Triennial. Folkestone is coming to life – and not simply through teenage pregnancy, the high rate of which inspired Tracey Emin to scatter bronze castings of baby clothes around the town.
“People are starting to get some pride in Folkestone,” said Olivia Maclean, manning the mobile Folkestonomy exhibit by Public Works art group, which records public reactions to Folkestone’s regeneration.
“We’ve had lots of friendly hoots and thumbs up when driving the Folkestonomy vehicle, which is a converted milk float.”
Folkestonomy uses electronic tags to record public views on regeneration, by Public Works (Katherin Böhm, Andreas Lang and Torange Khonsari). © Dawn Marshallsay/ Culture 24
The 180 artist now renting in Folkestone’s new Creative Quarter, in the Old High Street and neighbouring Tontine Street, eagerly await November’s opening of the Quarterhouse, a new performing arts and business centre.
Such an influx of artists inspired another group to air their views on kites. A Kite Kiosk erected on the Leas sells kites sporting the phrases “Hypsterisation Strategies” and “Uneven Development”.
Kiosk 5: Kite Kiosk, Nils Norman, with Gavin Wade mit Simon & Tom Bloor. © Dawn Marshallsay/ Culture 24
The first slogan recognises that attracting artists, or “hipsters”, will apparently improve the town for the middle classes (probably because they can afford to buy the art produced).
The latter phrase, by Marxist geographer David Harvey, summarises the possible result of what he terms these “impossible class-diverse urban restructuring methods”. These artists seem to be asking whether attracting artists to Folkestone will improve it the plight of the poor.
Creators of the kiosk, Nils Norman, Gavin Wade and Simon and Tom Bloor, hope that flying the black and red kites over the town will spark the “regeneration debate”. They too may even be asking whether attracting artists to Folkestone will improve it the plight of the ordinary folk of the town.
I Remember I Forgot is one of 12 photographic installations by Seijla Kameric. © Dawn Marshallsay/ Culture 24
Whatever the answers to these inward looking questions and sources of artist's guilt, happily this festival can at least be viewed for free and the artists have been given the freedom to raise awareness of Folkestone's problems.
Responding to the festival title of 'Tales of Time and Space', one of Seijla Kameric’s several photographic billboards around the town depicts the Rotunda’s rollercoaster before it was demolished, and aptly states “The End”.
But there is hope; the run-down amusement park was demolished to create space for further development. While much of this festival mourns Folkestone’s degeneration, hopefully the 2011 Triennial can celebrate three years of filling these empty spaces, perhaps with more art.
Folkestone Triennial runs until September 14 2008, but many artworks will remain permanently.
For more information, visit www.folkestonetriennial.org.uk
