Kentish Express Ashford & District
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Thanks to the highly popular Folkestone Triennial, an ongoing permanent public art exhibition, there are allegedly 45 works on display yearround in the town.
The event has previously seen pieces turn up by Yoko Ono, Tracey Emin and even Banksy.
Perhaps the most eyecatching and well-known work currently on display is sculptor Antony Gormley’s Another Time XVIII.
It consists of a solid cast-iron figure looking out to sea. Created in 2013 by the Angel of the North artist, it is sited underneath the Folkestone Harbour Arm.
Two iron men were loaned to the town for the 2017 Triennial, with another going to Margate.
While the other can be found at nearby Sunny Sands, the odd location of the former makes for a stunning photo opportunity.
Folkestone’s two sculptures are part of a series of 100 dispersed throughout the world.
According to Creative Folkestone, Mr Gormley intends them to ‘bear witness to what it is like to be alive and alone in space and time’ and to ‘celebrate the still and silent nature of sculpture’.
“The work is designed to be placed within the flow of lived time.’ - all three figures stand within the ebb and flow of the tide, at times partly inundated.”
A recognisable sight for those driving around Ashford’s ring road, the Bolt Roundabout - or Notaroundabout as it’s officially called - marks the start of the ‘shared space’ Elwick Road.
Installed in 2008 and designed by John Atkin, it has proved highly controversial.
Many don’t understand the
The Garden of England is littered with sculptures, murals and reliefs which aim to hark back to the area’s past or highlight a town’s culture. Many of us walk past them without thinking, but reporter Charlie Harman has been taking a look into the origins and meanings of some of Kent’s best known public artworks.
meaning - that it harkens back to Ashford’s rail heritage - or recognise it as a bolt, with suggestions that it looks more like a screw or nut.
Others dislike the material, corten steel, which is purposefully left to rust. In 2016, Mr Atkin cleared up his creation’s concept saying: “I chose corten steel because of its industrial connotations, which reflected on the longstanding railway connections to the area.
“The rim of stainless steel acts as both a reflector strip and also a celebratory bright feature emerging from the history of industry.
“The use of corten is that it weathers to a particular hue of rust depending on the atmospheric conditions it is placed in. The intention is never to paint it.
“The rest of the Notaroundabout design, and nearby terraces, reference intersecting cogs using Breccia Paving and Porphyry Stone.
“This refers to several industries, but most notably that of cycling.”
This came after an artist proposed adding a giant screwdriver to the top to emphasise what the structure was supposed to be.
It is re-decorated seasonally, with temporary re-vamps during Halloween and Christmas.
Many of Ashford’s roundabouts contain public art, including cows at the infamous Drover’s roundabout and a number of creations by the mysterious ‘Roundabout Banksy’.
Despite being one of the most recognisable images in the Canterbury, few people know why the Marlowe Theatre has a giant face opposite its entrance.
Called ‘Bulkhead’, it was designed by Gillingham-born sculptor Rick Kirby as part of a 2003 sculpture festival called Blok.
Canterbury City Council then bought the popular statue, which was moved to the Military Road council offices in 2009 but re-erected in 2011 when the newly revamped theatre opened.
Bulkhead is based off the famous Christopher Marlowe phrase: “the face that launch’d a thousand ships”.
It was constructed using scrap metal recovered from ships along the Kentish coast, living up to the line it was based on.
Brenchley Gardens in Maidstone is the location of a statue unique in Britain, if not the world.
The life-size bronze sculpture of a bomb disposal expert was unveiled in 2011, commemorating the lives lost during the war in Afghanistan. Depicting the soldier returning to base following a successful mission, the project was completed through public funding which saw £35,000 raised.
The Kent Messenger led calls in 2010 for a statue as a tribute to the long association 36 Engineer Regiment has had with the town.
Maidstone had lost five soldiers in Afghanistan between 2007 and 2010. Sculptor Mary Cox was commissioned for the work and made sketches from real life when she visited Invicta Barracks.
Placed atop a stone plinth,