Towns in Kent will host new artworks by internationally acclaimed artists in a major creative project linking the English coast.

Margate, Folkestone and Gravesend feature as the county's hosts for seven new artworks as part of the England Creative Coast announced today.

The project will include the world's first art geotour incorporating games with arts moving around the area, exploring the newly commissioned work and collecting geocache rewards on the trail.

The Turner Contemporary in Margate, the Creative Quarter in Folkestone and Cement Fields in Gravesend are each set to display pieces next year in the project connecting Kent with Essex and Sussex with world-class art.

The Waterfronts series will all host contemporary works opening throughout the summer and autumn in 2020 - joining installations in Hastings, Bexhill, Eastbourne and Southend.

A new trial ahead of the Turner Prize being hosted in Margate this year has also been announced today.

Art Homes, an Airbnb-style arrangement where local artists will host visitors to stay at their houses to view the Turner Prize exhibition at the town's Turner Contemporary gallery, will be piloted.

Visitors will be able to create their own itineries using the England Creative Coast website featuring businesses in the areas to tailor trips to each traveller's budget and taste.

The Creative Coast is ground-breaking project led by Turner Contemporary, Visit Kent with funding from Arts Council England and Visit England.

Turner Contemporary is working with Michael Rakowitz to create an artwork for Margate.

Chilean artist Pilar Quinteros will work with the Creative Foundation in Folkestone for an artwork for the town's Triennial 2020.

Jasleen Kaur, who is based in London, will work with Cement Fields in Gravesend.

Full details of the artworks have not been released but artists will be asked to create work focussing on the borders between land and water.

The new pieces will range from sculpture, land drawing, painting, sound and video.

Each artist has been instructed to link the coastline, its people, history and future into their pieces.

Tamsin Dillon, curator of Waterfronts for England’s Creative Coast, said: “These new artworks offer fresh perspectives on the places in which they are located; each with their own layered histories and complexities.
"Each artist in this diverse and international group will create a new work to provoke thought and dialogue around the issues facing this border and this distinctive coastline now and in the future."

Mr Rakowitz, who will work on the piece in Margate, said: "There are many things that interest and excite me about the prospect of making a site-specific work in Margate.

"The history of poets and rescuers looking out at the sea for inspiration and life has informed my project, as has the fossil bearing rock of the coast, which reminds me that stone is an archive.

"But I am also led by urgency, of understanding what it means to be at the edge of a place, where hospitality and hostility mix."

Victoria Pomery, director of Turner Contemporary, added: "This is a fantastic opportunity for artists to make new site-specific works and for audiences and visitors to engage with our work and that of our partners.

"Investment in culture delivers many benefits and has been transformational in Margate and our partners’ seaside towns."

Deirdre Wells, chief executive of Visit Kent, says she hopes the project will "showcase the cultural assets" in Kent, East and Sussex.

"The project offers inspiring itineraries encouraging visitors to travel further, stay longer and explore our cultural heritage in innovative ways," she said.

"Whether it's exploring our wonderful galleries, spending time with and seeing an artist at work in their own home or taking part in our new geocaching experiences, this project will give our visitors a unique opportunity to enjoy great art, great food and great hospitality."

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