Folkestone perennial: the enduring work of art in the re-constitution of place

Abstract

Ostensibly contemporary art biennials seek to engage with the places that host them, yet frequently they are viewed critically as elitist 'art world' events that are disconnected from their localities. The aim of this article is to establish how public art works in a given context, both as part of a format prescribed by the art event and in its potential to intersect with the intricate, contingent and varied constellation of the urban location in question. It addresses this central tension by examining the case of Folkestone, a town on the south Kent coast in the UK that once enjoyed a thriving identity as both seaside resort and gateway to Europe. From the 1960s onwards a gradual decline set in with the advent of mass global travel, culminating in the deathblow that was dealt by the nearby Eurotunnel's inauguration towards century's end, which signalled the end of the town's ferry link to the continental mainland. A concerted attempt has been underway for a decade now to revitalise the town using the arts, creative industries and education as the drivers of regeneration. One of the main initiatives in this endeavour was the introduction in 2008 of the Folkestone Triennial, a three-month summer event in which high-profile international artists were commissioned to produce sited artworks for the town, turning it into a form of urban gallery. With successive Triennials occurring in 2011 and 2014, and several works from all three being retained as permanent acquisitions, this article takes stock of the impact of these artistic engagements with the town, showing how, as an ensemble, they interact with one another and asking whether they have the capacity to contribute to a reconstituted identity for Folkestone in an integrated and lasting way. 2

On the Enactment of Roundabout Art: A Praxeological Analysis

“…Third, it indicates the availability of an elaborate methodology that is not only able to provide information on the actual process of empirical research but also reflects on how the above‐mentioned enactment of roundabout art can be adequately researched in the first place. This stresses the often neglected aspect of how artworks themselves speak “in terms of their respective engagements” (Whybrow :5) with place, with the recipients in their everyday lives as well as with the interlocutor.…”

The relationship between creative developments and place: a position paper

“…Looking beyond the professional creative sector and focusing on the ordinary people who live in a place (Wollongong, Australia), Gibson et al (2012) showed that local people develop a complex connection with their neighborhoods in multiple vernacular ways that the theories of creative cities and creative clustering do not acknowledge. Whybrow (2016) analyzed the triangulation that occurs between a place, its residents and arts projects (Folkstone Triennial where high-profile international artists are commissioned to produce artworks for town). He analyzed how the participatory and collaborative nature of one of the projects brought people together to shape discourses and dialogues.…”

“…Most of these studies are in the field of urban design (Costa and Lopes, 2015; Durmaz Drinkwater and Platt, 2016; Hanan and Hemanto, 2020; Kiroff, 2019; Wood and Dovey, 2015). A small body of literature has considered the subtle enhancements, made through arts-based interventions and creative practices, that contribute to meaning-making processes in places (Alexandrescu et al , 2020; Basaraba, 2021; Bobadilla et al , 2019; Platt, 2019; Sepe, 2018; Waitt and Gibson, 2009; Whybrow, 2016). These studies have seen places from the standpoint of how places are experienced, how the sense of place and place identity is created.…”

“…In terms of the lived experience of local residents, only two studies have indirectly characterized place quality (Gibson et al , 2012; Whybrow, 2016). Looking beyond the professional creative sector and focusing on the ordinary people who live in a place (Wollongong, Australia), Gibson et al (2012) showed that local people develop a complex connection with their neighborhoods in multiple vernacular ways that the theories of creative cities and creative clustering do not acknowledge.…”

Festival Cities

“…More prosaically perhaps, there are questions linked to the deliberate attempts to recreate the spirit of place. It may be wondered, for example, as to how much reconfiguring the town as a form of urban gallery has the capacity to generate a new and lasting identity for Folkestone (Whybrow, 2016b). Moreover, it is also important not to exaggerate the amount of change that culture per se can produce, especially given the extent that the changes in the town's fortunes have drawn in new property development capital.…”