Five international artists have been shortlisted for a new public art commission to situated at the West Wing Battery of Dover’s Fort Burgoyne – a remarkable 19th century former military site and Scheduled Ancient Monument nestled beside Dover Castle.
The proposed new artwork, scheduled for completion in June 2020, will facilitate long-term community activity and enhance the site for local residents, tourists and new residents of the adjacent planned housing development at Connaught Barracks.
Acquired by The Land Trust in 2014, Fort Burgoyne is one of four Pioneering Places sites across Dover, Canterbury, Folkestone and Ramsgate as part of the national Great Place scheme – an ambitious project that will make East Kent an even better place to live, work and visit by exploring heritage, developing civic pride and connecting artists and communities.
Having stood unused for around 70 years, the West Wing Battery of Fort Burgoyne will now be given a new lease of life following its acquisition by The Land Trust and the granting of planning consent for the construction of 64 housing units on the former Officers Mess adjacent to the Battery.
The five shortlisted artists are now tasked with developing creative solutions to the challenge of creating a new artwork that enhances the West Wing as a destination, enriches the visitor experience, inspires people to walk and explore and enables a sense of ownership for local people.
Joanna Jones, managing the commissioning process for Dover Arts Development on behalf of The Land Trust and Pioneering Places East Kent said:
We are thrilled to have received so many high quality submissions from artists across the globe. We have narrowed it down to a shortlist of five artists who each approach the challenge through their own particular lens and together span a diverse variety of disciplines.
The shortlisted artists are:
Fleafolly Architects
Website: http://www.fleafollyarchitects.com/
Founded in London by Pascal Bronner and Thomas Hillier, Fleafolly’s work is described as “blurring the boundaries between the fields of architecture, design, fashion, art and installation” and has been published extensively in books and journals including Blueprint, Icon, Domus and the Architectural Review. They have exhibited around the world, notably at the Design Museum in London, RAW Gallery of Architecture, (USA), Sci-Arc (USA) and the Beijing Biennale (China).
Emily Peasgood
Website: http://emilypeasgood.com
Grimsby-born Emily is an award-winning composed and sound artist based in Ramsgate, Kent. Her work is often multi-disciplinary, including literature, visual art and sign-language interpreters to engage people in more ways than sound and music alone, and includes commissions for the Folkestone Triennial, Turner Contemporary Margate and the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad.
Maja Spasova
Website: http://www.majaspasova.com
Maja’s work has been described as “simultaneously playfully abstract and transparent” and includes elements of installation and performance in relation to public spaces, inviting participation. Maja has been presented internationally at exhibitions and festivals including Venice Biennale, ARTEC Nagoya, Dak’art Senegal and at more than 100 solo shows in Europe and overseas.
Gabor Stark
Website: https://precariouspropositions.wordpress.com/
As an urbanist, educator and artist living between Berlin and Canterbury, Gabor has published, exhibited and lectured about his work in the UK, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, Greece, Cyprus and Russia. This includes a WW1 commemorative sculpture at East Kent Railway in Dover and a public art sculpture as part of the Pafos 2017 European Capital of Culture programme.
Jonathon Wright
Website: http://www.jonathanhwright.com/
A graduate of the prestigious Royal College of Art, Jonathon works with images, materials and structures derived from the fabric of modernity. His drawings and sculptures have been exhibited internationally, including at Folkestone Triennial, Lisbon Architecture Triennial, Turin Art Fair, Turner Contemporary Margate and in New York, Madrid, Rome, Buenos Aires, Cordoba and Breschia.
The selected artist will be announced in late November 2019.
