Funky Folkestone Triennial
Last time I was in Folkestone I was getting onto a big old ferry with the family car laden with supplies on the way to The Continent for a fortnight on the Costa Brava. I remembered it as pretty grim. The ferries no longer run and the town went into some decline once the Eurostar took up the traffic. But it has since undergone quite a transformation and this is the 3rd Triennial art show that it has hosted. Innovative artworks, some better than others of course, including David Shrigley (who is like, EVERYWHERE right now) and Anthony Gormley. I particularly liked the many 'Holiday Homes' by Richard Woods dotted around the place, a social commentary on housing crisis and the fact that so many people can buy 2nd holiday homes... The town has a whiff of faded grandeur about it, but grand it is nonetheless. Wonderful crescent houses right on the sea front with a real sense of the Victorian age throughout. Gardens that contain all your typical type of shrubs and plants of the time. I get the sense there is quite a cool nightlife in the summer too. A long cry from the lorry transport hub of the 60's & 70's, although the Great Burstin Hotel still looms large over the skyline. An ugly reminder of its past....
