Dilwara Begum: Folkestone and beyond

‘Dead Weight’, ‘Migration of Dead Weight’ and ‘EChO’ are the titles of the individual art pieces that I’ve shown at Folkestone Triennial Fringe Festival. As I question: life and death, migration and displacement, where does one boundary start or finish? I think about my spirituality that connects me to Islam and nature. I think about the next phase of my research and development and am considering a working title: ‘Border Line’ for my next body of work.

 Folkestone and beyond

Karen Mc Lean: Primitive Matters

Being in Folkestone was brilliant, and to be a part of the Triennial felt so special! I decided to take my piece "Primitive Matters" as these pieces fitted into the context of the Triennial "A Million Miles Away from Home." I was in the Bouverie Place shopping plaza where people were going in to do their shopping and stopped to ask me questions about the context of the work. When they did they stayed, and were curious about the context, history, how they were made and materials.

Some of the comments were: 

"Thank you for sharing your huts and photographs with us here in Folkestone, I look forward to seeing many more." 

"This really puts things into context. It's hard to imagine that people still live in shacks like these. Makes me realise how fortunate I am. I guess we take things for granted and still moan."

"Made me feel a little uneasy as I walked past with bags full of shopping of things I don't really need! Very interesting work indeed!"

Saranjit Birdi: Limits - Bouverie Place Shopping Centre

I've had an awesome time at the Fringe It's been an uplifting and rewarding experience- the Folkestone public have been generous with their comments and support and have totally engaged with the work 'Limits'. I used the limits of my body to draught out in pencil the limits of the exterior space within Bouverie Place Shopping Centre.

Pauline Bailey: Spaces in Between

Audiences' response to my work have been very positive. Being here has been a fantastic experience and far exceeded my expectations for the piece. An example of some feedback included:

"I think it's a fantastic idea in a beautiful space. The children being able to get involved is great! can't wait to see it finished, should look stunning".

"I was more interested in watching everyone else but would have secretly loved to have spent several hours in peace tracing every single view outside. I imagine it would become quite addictive".

As the piece developed I've decided to change the title to 'Shifting Perspectives' because that's part of the process required in order to trace what you see through the window.

Shaheen Ahmed: Poverty and wealth seeking refuge in Folkestone.

'Hop, Jump, Skip' has been a fantastic intervention with the locals in Folkestone. 

Today I had two Nepalese young men who took part in the interverntion and described how they played the hopscotch game in Nepal. Omar became a bit homesick and excited as he explained the differences in the layout style along with the method and technique of the game. 

Interdisciplinary artist Saranjit Birdi who was also in the Courtyard at Bouverie Place, doing his drawing intervention later told me that a group of grown men stopped and played hopscotch for a good while once I had left. Seems like Folkestone is a refuge for asylum seekers, all of the participants were male and have settled here without their families.

Later in the evening Dilwara Begum and I were walking along the promenade and came across a large group of Arab women who were over from Dubai and have been coming to Folkestone every year for the the past 37 years!! They said they were staying in England for over a month and a half as they dont like the heat in Dubai at this time of year.

José Forrest-Tennant: Detritus Part I

Comments from audiences today: "It was humbling - felt like I was in the book 'The     Road'. "God-like: looking down on the sand and civilisation. Difference in texture under your feet. Immersive, made me take notice of the small detail in everyday things, shapes and beauty".

This has been a fantastic experience, the audiences have been brilliant and not at all backwards in coming forwards with their comments, experience, thoughts and memories when encountering 'Detritus'. The experience has given me lots of food for thought in regards developing the piece further. I couldnt' have picked a better venue than The Cube as the staff have been so welcoming and supportive in encountering audiences to draw them into the space and in regards their support to me. I can't wait to come back! 

Dilwara Begum: The Send Off

On the pebbled beach of Folkestone, at 5.45pm, blood sweat + tears artists and Helen Jones Exhibitions Curator at The New Art Gallery Walsall sit and observe my final ceremony for the stones. As the tide comes in it takes each piece of ‘Migration of Dead Weight’ to its final resting place. There was silence as each gathered their thoughts during this meditative moment.

R.I.P

Saranjit Birdi later said: ‘I saw it more like a funeral, shrouded bodies being put out to sea’

 

 

 

Washed away by the incoming tide

Dan Auluk: 'postcards from the edge: Folkestone'

Sunday 26th June 2011

Title of experiment: postcards from the edge: Folkestone

'the edge' - metaphorically, socio-economic, politically and geographical



If you could share a secret annoymously to someone would you?


Went to the Folkestone Triennial shop and purchased a series of 12 postcards that showed the work of following International Artists:


Cornelia Parker
Charles Avery
Paloma Varga Weisz
Hamish Fulton
Ruth Ewan
Tonico Lemos Auad
Strange Cargo
Hew Locke
Erzen Shkololli
Cristina Iglesias
Spencer Finch
A K Dolven


My aim was to see if I could generate a dialogue with random chance through the idea of asking a stranger to share a secret with me.

See postcards below, that were strategically placed amongst the exisiting artists work, except for one (Strange Cargo) that I discreetly wedged in a plastic tray on a train seat, heading to London (St Pancras International). I may try the postcards on the trains next!

Not sure if this is going to work but some of the postcards were taken. So let's hope I get some replies. (Work In Progress)


Some of the postcard that displayed the work of the artist I couldn't find and inserted the postcard of an image of Erzen Shkololli work into a book of the artist Hala Elkoussy (http://www.folkestonetriennial.org.uk/2011-event/artists/hala-elkoussy/) - let's hope she shares a secret with me.