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Tuesday 16 April 2013

Creativity in Folkestone. . .




I believe that creativity and seaside goes hand-by-hand. There is not a single seaside town I have been that is not somehow influenced by a creative notion here and there. It is probably the liminal sense of living beside the seaside, I do not think there is one answer.

Creativity in Folkestone is everywhere in the town, from the permanent works of the Folkestone Triennial, to the community involved events of Strange Cargo (an arts organisation, born and based in Folkestone).
From the small businesses in the Creative Foundation's Creative Quarter to the fascinating ever-changing exhibitions at Georges House Gallery.

And yet, if I talk to people that haven't got interests in art, somehow they don't appreciate the amount of work it is thrown from the creative industries in this town.
Personally for me the town is divided in four types of Folkestoners:
1) London-working (or other bigger town), which we rarely see in town;
2) Low-income workers - predominantly carers of various kinds, retail, etc.;
3) Middle-income workers - estate agents, bank workers, etc.;
4) Creative industries - galleries, photo studios, art shops, independent artists, even hairdressers and florists (I would think of them as people that make products with a creative touch).

Does everybody gets why there is a Creative Quarter? Or is it just where the 'arty-farty' people reside?


Today I'll be visiting Brighton and will be looking at their creative scene and will try to talk with people to see if they feel there is a segregation as I feel there is in Folkestone.

1 comment:

  1. Sorry that I missed reading your post yesterday but I think it is really good generalizing by you as creativity is not just on one base. Everything around us is about creativity from the colour to any architecture or shop, it is about how you see and how you promote :) doesn't matter in which destination it is etc.

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