Running for the next eight weeks, the Folkestone Triennial is a celebration of the town’s history and environment and brings new specially-commissioned works to public spaces. Some are very public, while others need to be sought out.

Organisers the Creative Foundation have brought together 20 artists, both local, national and international, to create thought-provoking, interesting and inspiring works which are connected to the town and its sites.

Curator for a second time, Lewis Biggs, said: “I don’t start with a list of artists – I start with a list of places. It is an organic process.”

There are many signs around the town by artist Bob and Roberta Smith, saying Folkestone Is an Art School. Lewis said: “It was a question I was asked quite a lot in 2014 – why doesn’t Folkestone have an art school? And when I put it to Bob his answer was ‘But it IS an art school.’ It is an interesting twist.”

Among the works are the world’s first mushroom-powered battery – twice as powerful as a lithium graphite battery – in the Market Place, by Nomeda and Gediminas Urbonas, along with a network of scientists at universities in several countries, including the University of Kent.

Gediminas said: “There is a breakthrough in science here.”

This year includes creatures created from seashells, displayed in local people’s windows, by Amalia Pica, along with five which have been bronzed to protect them from the seagulls and displayed in the open, and one-third scale models of homes by Richard Woods, representing the number of second homes in the area.

The Islamic Cultural Centre, which has been in the town for 28 years, has had something of a makeover by HoyCheong Wong, with a temporary facade using scaffolding poles and mesh.

Lewis said: “When it started it was drawing a community from a radius of 40 miles so it is a very significant place for Muslims in east Kent. It looks three times as good at night. It gets lit up and it is absolutely beautiful.”

THE ARTISTS

The Triennial invites artists to work with the cultural history and environment of the town and produce commissioned works for public spaces.

This is the fourth Triennial, with the first held in 2008. Around 20 major artworks are commissioned for each event, with around eight to 10 staying in the town.

The artists involved in this year’s Triennial are: Rigo 23, Sol Calero, Michael Craig-Martin, Antony Gormley, Alex Hartley, Lubaina Himid, Emily Peasgood, Diane Dever and The Decorators, Amalia Pica, Marc Schmitz and Dolgor Ser-Od, David Shrigley, Bob and Roberta Smith, Sinta Tantra, Studio Ben Allen, Nomeda and Gediminas Urbonas, HoyCheong Wong, Gary Woodley, Bill Woodrow, Richard Woods, and Jonathan Wright.

FOLKESTONE ARTIST JONATHAN WRIGHT

A hidden river is the inspiration for local artist Jonathan Wright’s work.

Fleet on Foot is a series of small, gold boats on poles along Tontine Street, which is over the mouth of the River Pent, the tidal inlet where the first fishing boats were established.

Jonathan, from Folkestone, created water towers for the last Triennial, and this year he has continued with a waterborne theme. He said: “An artist makes themselves local wherever they go. You discover and investigate the history and the context of that environment.
“But of course, I am very local here. I have been investigating the River Pent for some years – at one time it used to be big enough to power mills.”

His small, golden boats represent the fishing boats now registered in the harbour. He said: “There were 100 boats and now there are seven. “They catch a lot of fish but it is a dying industry. I was trying to hover between memorial and commemoration because they are very heroic, incredible people.”

His creations are gilded replicas, made using a 3D printer.

DETAILS

The Folkestone Triennial runs for nine weeks until Sunday, November 5. For more details and information on the artists and events go to folkestonetriennial.org.uk
There is a map to guide you around the sites. Organisers estimate a walk around all the works will take around four hours.