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Kent is now home to the UK’s largest urban contemporary outdoor art exhibition, after the number of permanent artwork in one Kent town reached 45.
The Ledge by Bill Woodrow, which stands at more than seven metres tall and installed on Folkestone’s Lower Leas Coastal Promenade, missed the last Triennial in 2017 but its arrival as part of Folkestone Artworks has proved groundbreaking, putting the town on the world’s art map.
Since the Triennial in September 2017, organisers the Creative Foundation - now relaunching as Creative Folkestone - have been deciding which works would stay permanently, to join the Folkestone Artworks.
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They have now picked a further 15 located in both prominent and unexpected spaces to join the others already around the town.
Sites chosen range from the seafront, walls and bridges to re-purposed disused and neglected sites, which aim to invite viewers to reflect on the future shape of the town and the changing international landscape.
The Ledge by British artist and Royal Academician Bill Woodrow is a white steel sculpture with an Inuit figure and its ecological counterpart, the seal, standing on a thin layer of ice.
Gesturing towards the impending threats facing indigenous Arctic communities, their livelihoods and hunting cultures, the sculpture sits on a black, pool-like platform, reflecting oil spillages.
It aims to mirror the white cliffs which border Folkestone, and is a modernist, architectural message.
Alastair Upton, chief executive of Creative Folkestone, said: “Bill’s piece reflects many of the local current concerns such as climate change and erosion.
“We are very happy that it has finally come to Folkestone as a permanent addition to the town’s landscape.”
Also joining The Ledge in becoming a permanent resident in the town is Antony Gormley’s Another Time cast iron sculpture, which is staying put at the Loading Bay.
Other artworks selected from the last Triennial include Amalia Pica’s small bronzed sea shell creations while Tim Etchell’s neon work Is Why the Place, commissioned for the 2014 Triennial, has been re-made and re-installed at the refurbished former Folkestone Harbour Railway Station.
Folkestone Artworks aims to create a lasting legacy from the Triennials. Installations which have become permanent and well known fixtures include Cornelia Parker’s Folkestone Mermaid and Tracey Emin’s Baby Things.
Talks, tours and workshops, along with new artworks’ signage, a map and brochure and recommended walks are planned this spring and summer, and a Folkestone Artworks Visitor Centre at The Clearing.
To coincide, the independent arts charity Creative Foundation is being relaunched as Creative Folkestone.
To see the full list of artworks, go to folkestoneartworks.co.uk
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