insideKENT Magazine Issue 66 - September 2017 | Page 34

ARTS+ENTERTAINMENT
FOLKESTONE TRIENNIAL
2 Sep – 5 Nov 2017
FOLKESTONE IS AN ART SCHOOL READS THE BANNER BY ARTIST BOB AND ROBERTA SMITH
THAT WILL SOON HANG FROM ONE OF THE TOWN’S MARTELLO TOWERS, SIGNALLING THE
RETURN OF FOLKESTONE TRIENNIAL THIS AUTUMN. IT’S A BOLD STATEMENT, BUT ONE
THAT WILL CERTAINLY RING TRUE BETWEEN 2ND SEPTEMBER AND 5TH NOVEMBER AS THE
FOURTH EDITION OF ONE OF THE UK’S MOST AMBITIOUS ART EXHIBITIONS SEES WORKS
BY LEADING INTERNATIONAL ARTISTS SUCH AS ANTONY GORMLEY, DAVID SHRIGLEY AND
LUBAINA HIMID POPPING UP IN SURPRISING PLACES AROUND THE COASTAL TOWN TO
IMMERSE LOCALS AND VISITORS ALIKE IN THE JOYS OF CONTEMPORARY ART.
TOP, L-R: Bob and Roberta Smith, FOLKESTONE IS AN ART SCHOOL, commissioned by the Creative Foundation for Folkestone Triennial 2017; Gary Woodley, Impingement No.66 ‘Cube
Circumscribed by Tetrahedron – Tetrahedron Circumscribed by Cube’ 2017, commissioned by the Creative Foundation for Folkestone Triennial 2017; Antony Gormley, Another Time XXI 2013
(Coronation Parade),commissioned by the CreativeFoundation for Folkestone Triennial 2017. BOTTOM, L-R: Rigo 23, Through the Glassworks, 2017 & Earth’s Oldest Satellite, 2017, commissioned
by the CreativeFoundation for Folkestone Triennial 2017; the CreativeFoundation for Folkestone Triennial 2017. IMAGES BY THIERRY BAL.
Since the inaugural Triennial in 2008, every
three years Folkestone is transformed into a
sprawling and inspiring ‘gallery without walls’
and this edition is set to be the best yet. Curated
for a second time by Lewis Biggs under the
title double edge, more than 20 artists have
created new site-specific artworks for the
town’s public spaces. Some of them will
remain on a permanent basis to add to the
expanding public art collection, Folkestone
Artworks, which already boasts work by
artworld royalty such as Tracey Emin and
Yoko Ono.
The Triennial is the brainchild of the
Creative Foundation, an independent arts
charity that since 2002 has dedicated itself to
the transformation of the old town of
Folkestone into a creative hotbed. At the centre
of this cultural regeneration is Quarterhouse,
a year-round performance venue for music,
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theatre, dance and comedy that also serves as
the visitor centre for the Triennial. Go there
to pick up a map and grab your bearings before
heading off in search of the awe-inspiring art
on show.
Amongst the many gems on show, keep
your eyes peeled for Richard Woods’ work
Holiday Home, which sees six one-third size
houses in various bright colour schemes
appear in unlikely places – a comment on the
housing crisis that cleverly reminds us no site
is too small, too unlikely, or too inconvenient
for exploitation by the booming industry in
holiday homes. Look out also for work by
students at The Glassworks Sixth Form Centre
who have been invited by Rigo 23 to make
their mark on a number of billboards – the
perfect canvas for their self-expression.
On Tontine Street, take your time to
admire Jonathan Wright’s Fleet on Foot, which
celebrates Folkestone’s proud fishing history
and the seven boats currently registered in the
Harbour recreated here as gilded replicas on
poles. Wander down to the waterfront and
you will be greeted by two of Antony
Gormley’s imposing cast-iron figures from
his series Another Time that stand within the
ebb and flow of the tide, at times partly
inundated by the waves, monuments to the
still and silent power of sculpture.
Add to the mix Lubaina Himid’s, Jelly
Mould Pavilion on the sea front, Michael Craig-
Martin’s giant lightbulb overlooking the
junction of the two most important streets in
old town, and David Shrigley’s ode to its
historic lampposts, and it’s fair to say there is
something for everyone.
www.folkestonetriennial.org.uk