A Photo a Day #267

Constructed

Studio Ben Allen, The Clearing, commissioned by the Creative Foundation for Folkestone Triennial 2017-

I wanted to capture people's reaction to this installation; the sense of calm in the room, and the size of the gothic wooden construct, resembling a canopy overhead.

A Photo a Day #263

The Bell that was Banished

Still remaining on the seafront from Folkestone's 2011 Triennial, A K Dolven's 'Out of Tune' installation features a 16th-century tenor bell from Scraptoft Church in Leicestershire, which had been removed for not being able to keep in tune with the others. I converted this photo to black and white because I felt it was quite a solemn piece whilst being very simple. I wanted the image to reflect this as best as possible.

A Photo a Day #258

Sugar

Lubaina Himid's 'Jelly Mould Pavilion' is situated on Folkestone seafront where the Rotunda once stood with its fairground attractions. This is part of the 2017 Folkestone Triennial arts event which sees many modern art installations appear throughout the town. I've posted quite a few photos of this over the last week or so having visited Folkestone on the day of its official opening at the start of September. It is well worth a visit if you like this type of art, and walking! To read more about the thoughts behind her work, click here.

A Photo a Day #253

Gormley

Anthony Gormley has loaned two of his one hundred sculptures as part of the Triennial. The sculpture we saw is situated under one of the arches of the 1930s-built Coronation Parade chambers and involved a precarious climb along stunning (but slippery!) rocks coated with green algae to see this particular piece. Having read up on the sculptures and Gormley's intentions I can see how this location is a good fit for the concept. The sculptures themselves are oxidised, giving them a vibrant orange rusty hue with unique markings. Gormley himself says 'until they're sighted and viewed, they're not really art at all' which is a humble point of view. Many of us, even art appreciating folk, may find some of the Triennial (and indeed modern art in general) quite hit or miss. But of course that's the point- it's all about personal response and taste. That gut response is the joy of it all. Seeing the sculpture in this environment elevated it in the sense of it being more of a spectacle with the experience of negotiating the rocks and hearing the sea lap the shore close by. And that's why I recommend the Triennial: you are physically interacting with, hunting out and exploring the installations unlike a trip around the clinical environment of an art gallery.

For more reading about the installation, click here and come back tomorrow to see a photo I've worked on of those aforementioned rocks!

A Photo a Day #252

Mouthpiece

I took quite a few photos of this art installation entitled 'Siren' by Marc Schmitz and Dolgor Ser-Od, but this was my favourite. It overlooks the sea at Folkestone as part of the Triennial Arts Project. To see what this piece actually looks like and the ideas behind it, click here. The steward blew through the mouthpiece end and it makes an amusing sound- good fun!

A Photo a Day #251

Places by the Sea

These two houses are part of an installation by artist, Richard Woods as part of the Folkestone Triennial- see my previous two 'Photo a Days' to see some other images I took of this installation. I like the reflection here and the colours of the sky, water reflection and house in the water make for quite a desolate and sombre tone which is fitting for this conceptual piece.

A Photo a Day #250

Fancy Pad

Day 2 of my trilogy of Richard Woods 'Holiday Home' photos, taken at the opening day of the Folkestone Triennial. I went into a little detail yesterday about these installations, but to learn more click here. I played up the colours a bit here and although a little grainy (shooting on manual in bright daylight is a challenge still for me), I quite like the slightly 'yesteryear' tones on this image. 

A Photo a Day #249

New Home

So this is part of the Folkestone Triennial arts project in which artists are commissioned to produce some conceptual pieces for the town. These pieces often remain as permanent fixtures for years to come and add so much interest and culture to a place that was seen by many to be a bit of a decaying seaside resort in the past.

Richard Woods is the artist behind a set of installations called 'Holiday Home' which look quirky and colourful in their various positions around the town, but also explore a darker issue; in a country where people struggle to get on the property ladder or worse still are homeless, conversely we have many empty homes where the wealthier of society may have two or more properties. I liked the contrast of the old Edwardian seaside buildings in the background here- probably holiday retreats for the rich in their day. To read more about 'Holiday Home' click here. More photos to come over the next few days as they made for interesting images.

Folkestone Triennial Artworks

On Saturday, I was lucky enough to visit Folkestone, a town in my home county of Kent, to see some of the Triennial artworks for 2014. It is great to see art being made available in such a way and the town was alive and bustling as a result. I also took the opportunity to shoot a range of photos on my daytrip, some of the area in general and some of the pieces that I encountered whilst walking around the harbour.