Resort 2006

Showdown

2006-09-12T20:45:00.000Z

Well...it was a truly beautiful day as I dismantled the exhibition in Gallery IOTA. It was hot, and very misty. I could barely make out the towers of the power station across Pegwell Bay. I had a visitor in the gallery when Terry from the Windmill Allotment project came over to see the work. Unfortunately I had just finished taking everything down when he arrived but we talked about playing the accordian and what was going on on the allotments. I promised to send him photos and audio.
So once everything was down I walked down into the town by the seafront and thought about the great experience I've had doing this project, and the great people that I've met.

Shipping news

2006-09-05T10:29:00.000Z

So it was windy! We arrived at the boating lake to racing clouds, choppy waters, and a blustery gathering of model boat enthusiasts. Unfortunately a lot of the smaller boats couldn't go out because of the waves on the boating lake, but we got to have a close look at them all on display. There was a great mixture of traditional fishing and military boats, and more experiemntal designs. Two of our favourites were a sailing Ed the Duck vacuum cleaner, and a kettle- which even blew steam out the spout!
The Steam- Powered Internet Machine was great (the steam- making part especially) and it smelled fantastic too- it reminded Rose and I of the Steam Fairs we went to as children.
And there were lots of people in the gallery!! They seemed to really like it. I think a lot of the people who came to the Model Boat Regatta were locals, so they all found something interesting in other people's comments.
Despite the weather everyone seemed to have a great time!

The day I have been waiting for

2006-09-01T07:10:00.000Z

Sunday 3rd September is going to be fun!
There's the 20th Annual Model Ship Rally on the boating lake outside the gallery, involving lots of stalls from local groups and organisations in Thanet. There's also Jeremy Deller and Alan Kane's Steam Powered Computer- specially commissioned for Thanet by Turner Contemporary. There's the great cafe oppoisite, the sea, and hopefully....great weather!
The address of the gallery is:
gallery IOTA
At the Monkey House, East Wing, West Cliff Leisure Park, Royal Esplanade, Ramsgate, Kent, CT11 0HE
01843 853117

So come along!

The Private View

2006-08-23T19:11:00.000Z

Well Dad was the first to arrive, then Tim who we met in the Community Cafe, Leslie from Walkers Friend, Salvio from Ramsgate Esplanade Bowls Club, Eileen and her grand- daughter from the Pegwell and District Association, and plenty of Phil's contacts, friends and family (who we'd been staying with). I was really chuffed that people we met through, and helped with the project made the effort to come out to the Private View. Everything looked great- thanks to Chris, Dad, Phil, Rose, Tom the Carpenter (while Dad was on holiday), and everyone who came to the gallery- it was a really great evening. I was really really happy!
(These pictures were taken in the calm of the following day)

Preparing the Show

2006-08-22T17:46:00.000Z

From Wednesday afternoon until 6pm Friday was spent preparing the gallery- Chris and I pulled out wallplugs and filled the holes, sanded and painted, and Chris mopped the floor. Dad arrived and put up 30 aluminium brackets to hold comment cards, 6 shelves to hold 60 poloroid prints, and re- made and hung the three information panels to go with the audio work. Then Chris and I arranged and put up photographs, bought CD players and put up all the signage. Then I hemmed my skirt, Chris had a shower and it was 7pm!- time for the Private View

Mapping the Isle

2006-08-10T07:34:00.000Z

So... I've spent the last three weeks processing the things people told me- everyone from Walkers Friend who I met on the 8th June, the Windmill Allotment Project and Pegwell and District Association, Margate, Broadstairs and Ramsgate town centres, and Ramsgate Esplanade Bowls Club, and the Benedictine Nuns at Minster Abbey. I have 127 comments logged and put in place on a map of Thanet. In the exhibition this map will work with comment cards- so you can look at a symbol for a type of comment on the map (something you like, dislike, would change, would keep the same, your favourite place in Thanet, or a story/ comment about the area) and find the number on this symbol which will relate to a comment card on the wall of the gallery.
Lets hope it works! Now for the rest of the show!

Ramsgate Bowls and Minster Nuns

2006-08-09T21:01:00.000Z

Roseanna Arbon and I travelled down (very early) to Ramsgate on the 25th July to visit Ramsgate Esplanade Bowls Club, and the Benedictine nuns at Minster Abbey. Rose is a friend of mine who has studied Music Technology. So she brought her new digital recording equipment and I brought some questions to ask. The sunshine brought itself.
After a diversion through the town centre we arrived to a pretty full bowls pitch. It was the weekly visit of the Active Retirement group from Birchington. There were also some competition players practicing on another pitch. These players included two 16 year- old boys who everyone seemed very proud of- it's encouraging to see young people taking their place on the bowls green.
We were very warmly received and chatted to (well, distracted) some players who told us a little about their lives in Thanet at the same time as watching the woods. During the tea break we had a go ourselves, and had the game explained to us. I think both our favourite parts was and collecting the woods in the trolley to take them to the other end of the green, as it makes such a brilliant noise!
We later talked to the lady who makes the tea for the bowls club, who grew up in Thanet and told us stories about how it has changed since she was a teenager.

After some chips for lunch we got back on the train and got off again at Minster. I was a bit worried we wouldn't find the Abbey, but I needn't to have been, as it's right in the middle of what is a very small village. Despite its central location the grounds are very tranquil and peaceful. We were shown around by Sister Benedict who told us a bit about the history of the Abbey, and of Thanet. We then recorded the prayer in the Chapel, which the thirteen Nuns of the Abbey sing in harmony. After this we were treated to squash and chocolate bars as we interviewed Mother Nicola about life in the Abbey, how she came to be a Benedicine Nun, and what she think about the Thanet area. We left laiden down with free leaflets, postcards- even a recipe book produced by the Nuns, and boarded the train to London happy and feeling very privileged to have received such amazing hospitality.

Weekends Chin Wagging

2006-07-19T16:40:00.000Z

So our last weekend was in Ramsgate. We spent a good few hours chatting to munching customers in the 'Community Cafe' on King Street. In the evening we had a great Thai meal in Surin which set us up for the Friends of Ramsgate Library Fete the next day. There we met local Mums, Air Cadets, teachers and grandmothers. We then walked through the town to visit the art exhibition in St George's church. There we met Jennifer who told us all about the church, the history of Ramsgate, the restoration project, and the plans for the new Ramsgate library. In the church we also saw art work by one of our hosts and later chatted to them (Brian and Mary) about it, and their lives in Ramsgate before we set of for our last return to London.
So...now to make an exhibition out of it!

Weekends Chin Wagging

2006-07-19T16:18:00.001Z

Our middle weekend was in Broadstairs. An entirely different experience to Margate- we were based in a beautiful, and perfectly formed gallery in the middle of the town. Over the two days I collared about 40 different people and interviewed them on the door step. I did speak to quite a few visitors but most of the people I spoke to were locals- a little surprised I think to see their views the next day blu- tak'd up in the gallery window. Still- no one complained, and lots and lots of people looked and talked!

Weekends Chin Wagging

2006-07-19T15:28:00.001Z

We have just finished three weekends in Thanet talking to people we met.
We were in Margate on the 1st and 2nd July. We spoke to day trippers on the beach, deck chair attendants, Turner Centre invigilators, and of course...we watched the England game! On the Sunday we missed trains but still made it in time for (the end of) Church to talk to the go-ers. We then chatted in cafes and later had our own personal tour of the sea front in days gone by. We returned extremely sun burnt and disappointed about the football but very happy about all the kind- and talkative- people we'd met!

Hot day in Thanet

2006-06-29T08:00:00.000Z

Over the brow of a hill in the valley we were were met by a vista of beautiful flowers, a polytunnel and green houses going up the hill on the other side towards the windmill. We spent over an hour photgraphing the plants, vegetables and sheds in the Windmill Allotment Project. We then spent a couple of hours talking to young Mums, older men volunteers and school children who all enjoy growing planting and just being in the allotments. We heard some great stories and very different points of view- and got very sunburnt!

We then got a lift from Phil at IOTA to Pegwell. A short walk down a track along the cliff top brought us into the garden of Eileen Randall of the Pegwell and District Association, and the bungalow which she built with her husband in 1961. Margaret Swan was also on hand and they fed us with wads of old photographs of Pegwell, pictures of Samuel Banger shrimp past pot lids and stories about the area and how it has changed in the last 60 years since Eileen moved here.
We also got a tour around Eileen's garden which is like a maze! She showed us her look- out post with an amazing view accross the cliffs and the bay towards the cooling towers of the now defunct power station.
Fantastic!

Many many thanks to Jules, Becky, Jess, terry, Fred, Pete, Daisy, Graham, Charlotte at the allotments and Eileen and Margaret at Pegwell

Ramble in Thanet

2006-06-09T11:44:00.000Z

What better way to explore an area?
Yesterday 29 Thanet walkers and myself did a nine- mile walk in the blazing sunshine through beautiful countryside. We started at Ferry Inn and zig zagged following the line of the ancient Wanson Channel which originally cut off Thanet from the mainland, and made it an Island.
We walked through the long- grassed fields (I got plenty of nettle and thistle stings in my inappropriate skirt) and crossed a variety of styles (one of which was just an upturned pallet). I chatted to many of the friendly walkers- and found much in common. I recorded the sound of the grass swooshing as we walked, took plenty of poloroids and even took some super 8 on the way back to Ferry Inn.
We had lunch at Wickambreaux which is the most quintessentially English village I have ever been to (and I grew up in one). Attractions include tudor wood cladding cottages, thatched cottages, brick farm style 17th Centrury houses and a beautiful church. Over my prawn sandwich I asked walkers for their thoughts on the Thanet area. There was an overwhelming consensus to pull down Arlington House in Margate and renovate the town, and Quex House came up very often as a great place to visit.
Mnay, many thanks to Leslie Oliver for helping me out so much and introducing me to everyone, and to Colin for leading the walk. I had a fantastic day in the countryside and really really enjoyed meeting everyone!
Can't wait til the next one!

A great meeting at IOTA!

2006-05-28T14:15:00.000Z

On Thursday I travelled down to Ramsgate (it took 4 hours to get there, which is a bad sign!) and met with Phil.
We had a great time talking about the project, the exhibition, the workshops, the budget and the loves of our lives.
We also visited potential gallery and cafe spaces in Broadstairs, Margate and Ramsgate. This would be to use as a space to talk to people over theweekends of the 1st, 8th and 15th July.
So..I'm going to spend the week making up a revised project plan and budget, and thinking about how the whole thing will work. At the moment I'm hard at work designing the logo!
It's going to be a busy week!

Allotments

2006-05-23T17:38:00.000Z

We have a date to go and photograph the allotments! Chris (who will be photographing) and I have the 27th June booked off work to go to allotments run by Sure Start in Margate. We will photograph people doing Community Service in the morning, and a school group who are working with an artist from Artangel in the afternoon. There will also being the usual volunteers and plot holders rounded up by Jules (who helps run the site) to have their photos taken and talk about life in Thanet.

We have funding!

2006-05-14T19:06:00.000Z

I have recently been told by Phil at Gallery IOTA that funding from the Arts Council was confirmed, so we are going ahead with the project!
I am busy phoning organisations and groups in Thanet to arrange to meet photograph and record them. It's very exciting and I have spoken to the Benedictine Nuns at Minster Abbey, the Ramsgate Bowls Club, Jules Ellis who helps run an allotment site in Margate, Leslie who runs East kent Rambling Club, Pie Factory Music who run DJ workshops for school pupils and Eileen Randall from Pegwell and District Association. So far they've all said yes! So I'll be down during June to talk to them all. I keep forgetting to phone the Yacht Club in Margate, but they'll keep!