like the back of my hand · hook, line and sinker at the herne bay festival rouse kent public art...

S T R A N G E C A R G O A N N U A L 2 0 0 5 / 618


This page:Fallen Fruit The opening of Canterbury Festival 2005

see page 6

Front cover image:Other People’s Photographs An exciting new public art project for Folkestone

see page 8


Welcome to Strange Cargo’s first full colour

Annual. Over the past twelve months we

have explored different ways of working and

enjoyed taking our programme into fresh territory,

and the coming year looks as if it will offer many

more new and exciting challenges. Strange Cargo’s

administration team has recently been joined by

Lisa and Scarlett, who have brought with them

experience of a range of creative and administrative

skills to enhance our already talented ensemble.

Strange Cargo has been my passion for nearly nine

years. Joining as a Fine Art graduate in 1998 in the

role of Project and Gallery Manager, I received the

most comprehensive training any artist could wish for

in arts development and management. My passion

for the arts is supported by a solid administrative

background, nurtured during a six year spell working

in local government — not the most exciting job in

the world, but an extremely useful experience for

anybody called upon to run an arts company.

I took over as Artistic Director in 2004 and was

joined shortly after by Lisa Oulton as the new

Project and Finance Manager. Lisa had recently

completed an MA in Fine Art at KIAD and her

professional credentials include working with the

Turner Contemporary, Canterbury Festival and

Glyndebourne. Administrative and Marketing

Support is provided by another very gifted artist,

Scarlett Rickard, a professional creative who many

will remember as the designer and co-publisher of

Folkestone’s very own arts magazine, The Quarter.

In addition, a number of new freelance and trainee

artists have joined our accomplished team.

We have had a brilliant 2005 and received a great

deal of good news. Through a grant from Arts Council

England South East we have completed a productive

period of organisational development, working

with David Hill from Artreach. We have received

nominations for two prestigious public art awards

for Like the Back of My Hand, including The Arts and

Business New Partners Community Award and The

Rouse Kent Public Art Award, which we are delighted

to say we won. I became a Creative Partnerships

advisor, and the final months of 2005 also saw us

winning a major public artwork commission for the

new Bridehall development in Folkestone. We were

invited to the glittering opening of the Turner Prize,

and began a long-awaited refurbishment programme

for Georges House Gallery.

So, make yourself a cup of tea, put your feet up,

and enjoy our Strange Cargo Annual—

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Introduction & ForewordGeorges House GalleryDeveloping our exhibition space

CD:EKA Curatorial Development project for East Kent

Fallen FruitThe opening of 2005’s Canterbury Festival

Other People’s PhotographsA major public art commission in the pipeline

Fish SymphonyHook, line and sinker at the Herne Bay Festival

Rouse Kent Public Art AwardLike the Back of My Hand wins 2005 award

Like the Back of My Hand BookThe East Kent GiantsArtist in Residence Stephen Connolly will be following Giant footsteps

Education & Training programmesCharivari Day05’s Beach Babes & Surf Dudes & 06’s Giants Festival

Fête Dé NouéJersey’s first lantern procession

A midwinter passioniArtA new arts project for Shepway

A new eraFarewell to Art and Simon

Donate to Strange Cargo

co n t e n t s

Strange CargoGeorges House | 8 The Old High StreetFolkestone | Kent | CT20 1RL | UK

Tel: +44 (0)1303 244533Fax: +44 (0)1303 256360Email: [email protected]: www.strangecargo.org.uk

Brigitte OrasinskiArtistic Director

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Lisa OultonProject & Finance Manager

Scarlett RickardAdministrative & MarketingSupport

S T R A N G E C A R G O 2 0 0 6 A N N U A L2

Strange Cargo’s tenth anniversary exhibition Decade at the Metropole Galleries, December 2004Brigitte Orasinski © Strange Cargo

S T R A N G E C A R G O 2 0 0 6 A N N U A L 3

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What does it mean to be a 21st century arts company? This appears to be the question that

is on everyone’s lips at the moment, and something that we have ruminated about each

time it has cropped up. Our conclusion is that to be this elusive beast requires a diverse

range of talents, with a practised professionalism and the knowledge that each creative

endeavour has a sound foundation. We are aware that any construction, be it physical or conceptual,

needs to have robust foundations to carry any weight.

Strange Cargo has been in existence for eleven years, and in this time we have always looked to

develop our practice with well-produced and inventive approaches to whatever project we happen to be

engaged in at the time, but always with the ethos of Access, Participation and Excellence as fundamental

to our work. This approach is one of the reasons we are in a strong position to deliver under the 21st

century banner.

In the last twelve months Strange Cargo has undergone a major reshuffle, and new members of the

team are in place to take the company forward; this is a very important juncture to look at what we

do and how we are perceived. Over the course of each year our programme includes developing major

public art projects, curation of a contemporary gallery, education and training, and participatory work.

We are very aware that to date our most high-profile work has been celebratory in nature, an area of

engagement that we value enormously. In terms of unlocking the creative potential in participants, it

has repaid our input tenfold.

Why is participation so important? We believe in an innovative and contemporary approach to

participation, and recognise that if people are happy and willing to work with us to make a carnival

costume or lantern, and enjoy the experience of taking to the streets, they are then more likely to put

their trust in us and explore other more challenging creative opportunities. Many visitors to Georges House, our gallery in Folkestone’s emerging creative quarter, will visit for this reason alone to share

their opinions about the show with the exhibiting artists, and discover what the inspiration was behind

even the most demanding work.

In the same way, we create frameworks for our public realm projects that mean the resulting artwork

will have an inherent sense of belonging to its location and its community, whilst critically still

retaining its integrity as a work of art. Commenting on Strange Cargo’s installation at Folkestone

Central Station, Dr Stephen Deuchar, Director of Tate Britain said: “Like the Back of My Hand is a

clever, inspiring work of art rooted both in Folkestone’s contemporary community and in its

history. It does what art in public places should surely do: it enhances its location aesthetically,

it engages its viewers daily and directly, it has something to say, and it is widely enjoyed.”

Strange Cargo believes passionately that artwork in the public realm must deliver all of the above, and

we are committed advocates to the view that the days of the audience as passive observer are gone. In

the words of Jochen Gerz at Art & Architecture Journal’s first Annual National Public Art Conference in

London, “we should look at the viewer, not the artist,” and “make works of art depending on others.”

In the past eighteen months Strange Cargo has been through a process of significant change. We

have initiated a wide-ranging artistic debate on who we are and what we do, celebrated our many

successes and made plans for an exciting future. We shared our ten year history through the impressive

Decade exhibition at the Metropole Galleries, worked with communities across the region and won

the prestigious Rouse Award. We said farewell to Simon Bolton and Art Hewitt, the hugely talented

founders of Strange Cargo, and appointed Brigitte Orasinski — who has been a leading creative force in

the company for some years — as our new Artistic Director. And all the while we have kept the company

moving forward, making new work, exciting our audiences and exercising our talent and imagination.

Running a creative business is not always straightforward. We have to pursue new and inspired

collaborations; be responsible and organised employers; continue the elusive search for financial security

and growth. These forces are constantly in play and affect the lives of the artists, administrators, board

members and supporters of Strange Cargo alike. It is this mix that makes the company special.

To be part of Strange Cargo’s journey is something we value and cherish. You are welcome to join us

as we move into our second decade. Believe me, it will be worth it.

F O R E W O R D Alan Dix, Chair of the Board of Trustees


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Strange Cargo is managed by a team of practicing artists, and anybody who has ever shown their work in our Gallery

will know how much we value being able to offer exhibition space to other practitioners. We are very proud of Georges House Gallery’s contribution to the arts across the region. It first opened its doors back in 1997, but it wasn’t until the

following year that the programme of fortnightly exhibitions began in earnest, with artists from near and far — but

mostly near — taking control of the space to curate and present their exhibitions to the masses. In this time nearly a

thousand artists have exhibited there.

The ethos of Georges House has always been to act as an incubation space for artists to experiment with their practice.

We allow them to use it in whichever way they need, one of the few provisos being that at the end of the exhibition it

can be returned, fit for purpose, in time for the next show to hang the following morning. More than one person has

raised their eyebrows at the idea of this fast change-around, and with twenty-plus exhibitions a year it can sound very

unwieldy — but the people who show there are professional in their approach and, at the end of the day, the setup works.

Around ten thousand people visit the gallery each year. When artists invigilate their exhibitions — which in hiring

the space they are called upon to do — the broad cross-section of people who visit Georges House is revealed to them.

The fact that the artist is usually on hand to talk to visitors provides a rare opportunity for people to find out why and

how the work is produced. One of the gallery’s many strengths is that it doesn’t feel exclusive. The easily accessible

space encourages large numbers of people to take the opportunity to

discover the artists who are currently working in the region. In any

one hour the range of different visitors is vast, and can include just

about anyone who happens to be passing.

The waiting list for exhibitions is usually between twelve and

eighteen months long. Artists wanting to apply are invited to send

in images of their work, together with an outline proposal. The team

at the gallery will make the selection based on the quality of the

artist’s work, then arrange a meeting to discuss taking the proposal

forward. Only a nominal hire fee is charged for the space, allowing as

many artists as possible the chance to get their work shown. Beyond

this initial selection, the exhibitors are free to curate their show in

whatever way they choose. The ethos of Georges House is to encourage

experimentation and professional development.

We deliberately present a varied programme, and during the course

of a year this will include a range of styles and approaches. Showcasing

quality contemporary art is our goal, but this does not mean we will

not consider interesting proposals from people working in a variety of

Georges House is collaborating in an East Kent-wide curatorial development project. CD:EK has been

commissioned as part of Make it Real’s programme showcasing innovative new artistic and curatorial practice.

Three galleries are taking part — Georges House and, in Whitstable, the Horsebridge Arts Centre and the Whitstable Museum and Art Gallery — giving the opportunity for young or early-career curators to have a valuable opportunity to

take the lead in the commissioning of artists within the project, as well as planning events and every aspect surrounding

exhibition openings. The lead curators have been chosen, and we are delighted to have artist and curator Raimi Gbadamosi leading the team at Georges House, with his mentees Ben Kidger, Scarlett Rickard and Polly Read. The two other teams

at the Whitstable galleries are led by Simon Grennan and Angela Kingston.

Each of the teams will be working towards

exhibitions in their galleries in 2006, with

additional complementary events, artist-led

seminars and gallery talks. The three week

exhibition at Georges House will include some

of the best in contemporary British visual arts

practice and will be open to the public on 4 March.

It will be the first show following our major

refurbishment of the space. The project is being

managed by Neil Debnam and Jim Shea of Shea Debnam Associates.

Make it Real is the new cultural programme for

Canterbury and East Kent, run by Canterbury City

Council. The programme encompasses nineteen

new arts and culture projects, from large-scale

spectacles to intimate events all made by, with, and

for the people of Canterbury and East Kent. More

details are available: www.makeitreal.co.uk


different ways, or very traditional media. It is the passion and integrity of the artwork that is looked for.

We are delighted that we have recently seen artists whose first exhibitions were in this space go on to greater things. Noah Sherwood for example exhibited fresh from KIAD in 1999 and has since been shortlisted for the Jerwood Drawing

Prize, and most recently secured a large public art commission in Spitalfields, London. There is a exciting trend

emerging of recent art graduates returning to Georges House, who in previous years have spent their school work

experience placements with Strange Cargo or taken part in Charivari Day (see page 15).

Georges House is just about to get a facelift. We have always loved the building — the gallery is freshly painted

each time a new show comes in — but, until now, we had not been in a position to lavish much tender loving care

on its appearance. We are hoping to install a new level entrance (our uneven steps can make access tricky for some

people) and we are uncovering the boarded-up windows in The Old High Street and refurbishing the exterior of the

gallery in readiness for the great programme of exhibitions planned for the coming year.

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fa l l e n f r u i tSix tonnes of apples, three tonnes of mechanical sculpture, three hundred singing voices

and a few thousand people—the awe-inspiring opening of the Canterbury Festival 2005


When Strange Cargo first entered into discussions to produce an

event for the opening night of the 2005 Canterbury Festival, we were

delighted to be introduced to composer, Orlando Gough. We were aware

of his work with Artangel, but he is also one of the UK’s most important

composers for ballet, contemporary dance and theatrical projects.

Inspiration for the project came from an article in The Guardian by

journalist George Monbiot entitled Fallen Fruit, which focused on the

demise of the English apple and in particular the plight of the traditional

Kentish apple varieties, whose orchards were being grubbed in vast

quantities because of EU regulations over subsidies. For obvious reasons,

this subject is very close to the heart of Brogdale, the Faversham home

of the National Fruit Collection, who joined us in the project.

The apple issue had significant local context and what emerged from

our initial talks was a Festival launch that played to the strengths of

the partnership: there was to be an exhilarating vocal performance

from a choir of 300 local singers led by multi-stylistic professional choir

The Shout, who would perform a breathtaking work specially written

by Orlando and Jeremy Avis to celebrate the history of the apple and

harangue the perpetrators responsible for the ridiculous EU legislation.

Strange Cargo planned to create its nemesis. In response to the beauty

and passion of the voices, a solid power-driven installation was devised

in the form of a vast automaton. A physical manifestation of the

destructive political mechanism that had created this crisis, the resulting

engine was in sinister contrast to the humanity of the voices. Designed

and constructed by sculptor Andrew Baldwin, the robust diesel-powered

machine’s huge flywheels, ratchets, gears and crankshafts were capable

of great devastation. It crushed flint to dust during its test run, and so

we were under no illusion that it would make light work of destroying

the six tonnes of apples that Brogdale and Mansfield Apple Farms were

supplying for the event. The resulting pulp was to be mulched to organic

compost at Stephen Muggleton’s Wormcast worm farm.

The artist-led workshops and choir rehearsals took place in early

autumn. Strange Cargo’s production management of the event kept the

team busy planning the different elements that would deliver this large-

scale performance in the city centre. The lead-in time involved a certain

amount of head-scratching due to the inconvenience of the planned

performance site unexpectedly being dug up for gas works four weeks

before the event.

At 5·40pm on Saturday 8 October the audience began to gather in the

new site in Iron Bar Lane. The huge stage stood on one side of the arena,

and the brooding, rusty monster that was the apple crusher sat opposite.

The atmosphere built steadily with performances by the individual choirs,

interspersed with narrative from Orlando, reaching a rousing crescendo

when The Shout took centre stage and the machine was cranked into life.

A live video feed was mixed and projected onto a 25’ screen rising up from

the back the stage. The anticipation of this moment resulted in a palpable

excitement, and the political rally atmosphere was successfully realised as

the audience waved their placards. The machine indiscriminately gobbled

vast quantities of apples, fed continually by a team of people. The fruit

was mashed to a pulp by the jaws of the crusher, and residue spewed

out onto the ground. The sights, sounds and delicious appley

aroma made Fallen Fruit an exciting and unforgettable feast for

the senses.

S T R A N G E C A R G O 2 0 0 6 A N N U A L 7Fallen Fruit performance

Brigitte Orasinski © Strange Cargo

Have you ever opened a cupboard, or looked under the

bed for some mislaid item, and come across a shoebox

or carrier bag containing a pile of old photographs?

Photographs instantly transport us to another place in

our life, a point of recent history, or a time so far back

that it is difficult to recognise the once familiar faces

peering out from the image.

These ‘jewels’ exist in every home and, in common with

any other town, a great deal of Folkestone’s visual history

is tucked away out of sight. Within this rich archive

exists the story of the lives of thousands of people. The

individuals on display in a photograph may not be widely

recognised, but the locations that frame them are often

shared public spaces, and are very familiar to many other

people. These recognisable spaces, either public or more

domestic (lots of pictures exist taken outside the family home) are the points at which the threads of various lives cross over.

As part of the long-awaited new building programme in Folkestone’s town centre, Strange Cargo has been commissioned by the

developers Bride Hall to create a work for the public realm based on other people’s photographs of Folkestone. Strange Cargo will

amass an archive of images belonging to residents that will present a record of the town across many decades, and from a wide range

of social backgrounds. Bride Hall Director Gary Bourne says, “We are genuinely very excited about taking this project forward.”

Strange Cargo will develop a network, or map, of images, with a narrative from the

owners of the pictures that will bring a context to the time at which the photograph

was taken. These will not necessarily be a record of earth-shattering events (although

there is bound to be reference to the ‘bigger picture’, such as wartime), but just-captured

moments of the everyday lives of residents at different times during our history. The

intention is to look at the imprint other peoples lives have made on the space we now

occupy and how the visualisation of this can impact on contemporary viewers.

The photographs we receive for the project will inform how the final artwork develops,

but our primary intention is that it should in the first instance be of interest to the

people who live in Folkestone, as we believe that if a public artwork has a sense of

place within its community, it will also readily engage people from elsewhere who have

chosen to visit the town.

Through a touch-screen IT unit, people will be able to use the artwork as an A-Z,

planning their journey through Folkestone, which would not only appear as a map, but

also as a series of photographs creating a path to the different locations. In this way,

photographs from across the decades would create a continuous sequence of images,

indicating the passing of time and the imprint of many generations.

The IT unit will be positioned in Bride Hall’s new Bouverie Place shopping centre

and will have access to each of the chosen images. In addition, the

photographs will all be individually reproduced on metal panels

and sited in their corresponding streets in the town. This device will

provide actual signage, referencing the IT unit, which people can

physically follow to their chosen destination. Work will begin early in

2006. If you have family photographs featuring Folkestone, Cheriton

or Sandgate street scenes and would like to lend them for the project,

please contact Strange Cargo for details of how

to take part. All photographs will be handled

with care and returned after scanning.

major public art commission:

O t h e r p e o p l e ’ sp h o to g r a p h s


The Leas, Folkestone, 1969

Bournemouth Road, Folkestone, 1977

Kingsnorth Gardens, Folkestone, 1965


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A glittering school of giant fish was created in May when Strange Cargo were resident at the Herne Bay High School as part of the Make It Real initiative. The highly finished creations were animated by the students in a street performance at the very popular Herne Bay Festival in early August.

Cautionary tales for children were written for the event by performer Chris Tophill who based the chilling stories on local myths from Herne Bay’s past, providing a subject that also inspired the songs written by Jack Pound. A promenade performance was created, the tales enacted by the fish and narrated by Salt Peter, a lobster-clawed story teller who warned children of the dangers that befell those that told lies or misbehaved. Jack Pound and his band The Rattlers escorted the troupe, and enthralled the audience with a fabulous musical finale at the seafront Clocktower.


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S T R A N G E C A R G O 2 0 0 6 A N N U A L

like the back of my hand w i n s p u b l i c a r t awa r d

At a ceremony in Kings Hill near Maidstone, Strange Cargo picked up the prestigious

Rouse Kent Public Art Award in front of an invited audience from the business and

arts sector for their artwork Like the Back of My Hand. The 180 foot-long piece was

originally conceived by Brigitte Orasinski as an exhibition to mark the new Millennium

for the people of Folkestone in an inclusive and lasting way.

Visitors to Folkestone’s Central Station are greeted at first glance by a vivid blue mosaic wave

sweeping from the road towards the station entrance, punctuated by 101 bronze cast hands.

In 2000 the project sought 101 people, each born in a different year of the last

century, including the first baby born that year in the Shepway district. Initially the

hands were cast in plaster, alongside a biography and photograph of each participant

and a recording of their voice speaking the year of their birth, for an exhibition at

Georges House Gallery. The exhibition brought together a vast cross-section of people

from different walks of life, and the web of individuals who took part provided a

tangible sense of how a large community is interwoven. Like the Back of My Hand is, in

every respect, a work of public art.

In 2003 support came from Shepway District Council, Arts & Business New Partners

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investment scheme, and South Eastern Trains to install the artwork

at Folkestone Central. Sculptor Andrew Baldwin cast the hands into

bronze, and Theresa Smith of Moochdesign was commissioned

to design the mosaic backdrop, transforming the station entrance

into a vibrant public space. In the station foyer a touch-screen IT

unit explains the history of the work and takes the visitor to the

biographies, photographs and voices of each participant.

The £10,000 prize was shared between Strange Cargo and Shepway

District Council, who are also the keepers of the Rouse Chair for a

year. Director of Tate Britain Dr Stephen Deuchar, who presented the

award, said: “Like the Back of My Hand is an example of how a work

of art can be an instrument of urban regeneration — in this instance

something as basic as the physical improvement of a station

premises. As a model of collaboration between artists and funding

authorities, I hope it will provide an example and stimulus to new

projects across the region”

With the award money a book is being compiled as a

hardcopy record of all of the information held on the

touch-screen. The machine only has a limited lifespan,

and without access to this documentary evidence the

context that informs the artwork will be lost.

All the surviving Hands and the families of the

deceased will be asked to contribute to the publication.

It will be a very special document, and one that is

essential to preserve for future generations. The only

way to ensure that the work will always be available

is to put it in print, as electronic versions will only be

accessible if the correct equipment exists to open them.

The book is to be generously supported by The Tory Family Foundation, Folkestone Estates, and South Eastern Trains, but we are still seeking additional

funds to complete the project.

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Strange Cargo have developed an East Kent interpretation of the

French Géant tradition as a way of bringing communities together to

create unique characters specific to, and inspired by, their surroundings

and the folklore of their neighbourhood. The Giants projects are part

of Make it Real — the innovative and exciting new cultural programme

for Canterbury and East Kent, run by Canterbury City Council.

In 2001 Strange Cargo undertook a programme of research and

development into the Géants tradition in Northern France and Belgium.

During the trip the artists had the opportunity to meet existing

associations, artists and makers, researchers, and local authority

representatives who actively support the custom. The visit provided

a wealth of material, covering both the historical perspective of the

Géants as well as contemporary practice. The artist team examined

which aspects of the tradition would be transferable to the project in

the UK and also how to make the East Kent Giants distinctive from

their European counterparts.

It is thought that any British Giants that existed were destroyed in

the Reformation, but in Europe the Géants are an ancient and popular

tradition, with over 200 Géants in Northern France alone. It is a

living tradition, flexible to change and innovation, responsive to the

communities in which it is practised. The inspiration for individual

Géants can come from local folklore, myth or legend and their different

styles of construction often reflect local skills within their communities.

A cortege of costumed followers and musicians always accompanies

the Géants, and songs and stories are created around them.

The successful pilot project resulted in the creation of Torrent the

Littlebourne Giant, created as a cathartic response to the terrible

flooding of the village in the winter of his creation. He is now happily

ensconced in the community barn where he was built. Torrent and his

community have been invited guests to many festivals and the village

now has a very active Giants Association.

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The workshop of French giant maker Stephane Delaurence Brigitte Orasinski © Strange Cargo

art ist in res idence


In 2005 Strange Cargo created two more Giants. A very snowy February saw the birth of Harry the

Hawkinge Giant, a character inspired by the village’s strong association with flying, due to its World

War II airfield and museum and its close proximity to the Battle of Britain, fought over the coast

of Folkestone and Dover. For Harry’s awakening ceremony over 600 feather-shaped dogtags were

attached to his coat, each one engraved by a child of the village with their name and date of birth.

A residency at Sandwich Technology School led to the creation of John Drury The Sandwich Giant. Constructed with teacher Bob Martin and local artists and students, this imposing medieval knight

was named after a Mayor of Sandwich who in 1475 was captured and murdered by the French. John

Drury’s awakening ceremony saw every living past Mayor of Sandwich gather to welcome the Giant

to his new community.

Early in 2006 Strange Cargo will move their production base first to Herne Bay and then Singleton

to create the fourth and fifth of the East Kent Giants. These new residents will link their host

communities to Littlebourne, Hawkinge and Sandwich. The completion of each residency will be

marked by an awakening ceremony to introduce the Giant to the wider community and an invitation

to the first Giants Festival in Folkestone, where on 15 July 2006 all the East Kent Giants will in

procession together for the first time.

As a result of a residency with Strange Cargo, Stephen Connolly

will be making a 20 minute film following a Giant’s progress through

the Kent landscape. During the journey, the Giant, who narrates

the film, will encounter some of his Giant kin and the voices of

communities that brought them to life. At each settlement, the

Giant will set tasks for his assistant to complete which relate to the

history and features of each place. The Giant’s final destination is the

Folkestone Charivari Giants Festival — scheduled for 15 July 2006.

Funded by a grant through the EK Local Authority Arts Partnership,

the backbone of the visual treatment of Géant of Kent will be a

journey around East Kent to each of the Giant villages. As part

of the research process, the journey will initially be undertaken

by bicycle to seek out the idiosyncratic features of the landscape

and human settlement. Additionally, the significant places

identified by the groups involved with the making of the Giants will also feature. Stephen Connolly is a contemporary visual artist

and lecturer at the Royal College of Art. This will be his third involvement with Folkestone following his film Folkestone Obscura, made

for the Library’s Navigating History project and Passage, an exhibition with Nilu Izadi at the Metropole Galleries in early 2005.

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S T R A N G E C A R G O 2 0 0 6 A N N U A L

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sStrange Cargo has always championed the notion of artists supporting their own

practice by using their creativity to make a living in the arts. Artists have an adept

ability to apply specialist — and seemingly unrelated — knowledge gained in one creative

field to other disciplines, and to generate a totally original result. For this reason the Strange Cargo

team incorporates a wide variety of practitioners, each keen to work with others and passionate about

their own professional development

The annual event programme offers our trainee artists experience in practical construction and

workshop skills, health and safety awareness, and aspects of event management. This very practical

grounding helps equip them to work on a wide variety of creative projects from fine art residencies to

processions. There has been a recognition of the need for training of this type by Kent University who

are soon to launch a new degree programme to help students develop the practical skills needed to

project-manage a diverse range of live events.

• Georges House Gallery Strange Cargo has always encouraged professional practice in its exhibiting

artists. Georges House Gallery, as an affordable experimental space, is frequently the venue for artists’

first solo or group exhibitions, and the in-house team are always on hand to advise on everything

from hanging the show, to pricing work and organising private views.

• Giants A week of research and training was devised for the artist team who will be delivering the

next two East Kent Giants in 2006. The programme included additional training in the methods

traditionally used in Giant construction, with an investigation into new techniques and wild

possibilities. A number of new creative professionals joined the team, including craftsman Johnny Man, who devised a lightweight bentwood frame, and sculptor Andrew Baldwin, who constructed

an internal animated steel structure for a Giant. Internationally-known basket maker Mary Butcher coached the team in advanced sculptural basketry methods.

• Tandridge Strange Cargo led a two-day programme of skills training with artists from Tandridge in

Surrey to enable them to run a number of very successful small scale lantern processions in their home

town. In May teams of artists and council employees returned to increase their skills by learning more

advanced large-scale lantern building techniques, safe workshop practice and event coordination.

• Charivari 2005 The Teachers’ Masterclass held in the lead-up to Strange Cargo’s Charivari Day

carnival is a hugely popular opportunity for teachers to be introduced to new materials and making

techniques. They work with an artist to produce their prototype costume, then retire for a well earned

glass or two of wine and a chance to socialise with their colleagues. They then return to school with

a materials kit to reproduce the costumes in class. The Giants Festival (Charivari Day 2006) will be

the first time that schools from outside Shepway will have the

chance to be involved in the Masterclass programme.

• Viareggio Carnival Strange Cargo will be taking a team

of artists for a research and development trip to the world

famous Viareggio Carnival in Italy. There they will have

the opportunity to engage with local makers and visit the

workshop of world class carnival maker Gilbert Lebigre

to observe the specialist techniques used to construct

the enormous floats in this international spectacle.

These construction skills will be incorporated into

the Giants Festival workshops.

14

Photographs from top to bottom:Charivari Teachers’ Masterclass with Sam Martindale© KM GroupWorkshop for Tandridge at Strange Cargo’s FactoryBrigitte Orasinski © Strange CargoMary Butcher & Sarah Roëlich Lisa Oulton © Strange CargoWood sculptor Johnny Man with maquette Lisa Oulton © Strange Cargo

Anna Harper and KIAD student Lydia Bevan make silkbanners for the opening of the Canterbury Festival Lisa Oulton © Strange Cargo


c h a r i va r i day 2 0 0 5A fantastically hot day dawned on the morning of 16 July and a collective sigh of relief was heard throughout Folkestone as the

memories of 2004’s deluge finally faded away. Another stroke of luck that epitomised the run up to this year’s event as only eight weeks

before — and at the last possible minute — the shortfall in funding for Charivari had been generously provided by The Roger De Haan Charitable Trust and Folkestone Town Council, with additional funding from Kent County Council and Shepway District Council. The sunny streets were noisily filled with 600 colourful and very exuberant participants with an estimated audience of 10,000 lining

the route through the town. Over 20 school and community groups took part, many for the first time, and they were accompanied

by five excellent carnival bands from around the UK. The happy and raucous procession ended on the Leas where music on a

temporary bandstand entertained the large crowd picnicking on the grass for the rest of the afternoon.


g i a n t s f e s t i va lAs we speak, an international search for

Giants is taking place. Giants and their friends from near and far are being invited to Folkestone to celebrate the completion of the East Kent Giants Project, created as part of Make it Real, Canterbury City Council’s exciting cultural programme for East Kent.

For the first time, Charivari Day 2006 is being specially extended to include schools not only from Folkestone, but from across East Kent to create an incredible international celebration for the region.

Support for the Charivari Giants Festival is, so far, coming from an Arts Council England South East ‘Grants for the Arts’ award, but Strange Cargo is — as usual — diligently fundraising in order to create this fantastic event for Folkestone and East Kent. See you there!

Participants in 2005’s Beach Babes and Surf Dudes CharivariBrigitte Orasinski © Strange Cargo

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f ê t e d é n o u é , j e r s e yThe Strange Cargo team travelled to St Helier, Jersey last November to create

an opening event for the island’s winter festival. The project incorporated a two-week residency at St James Art Centre, training opportunities for local artists, a programme of outreach workshops and a hastily assembled but successful streetband.

St James, a converted church, provided a beautiful and conveniently vast setting in which to create the giant cherub and lily lanterns, and was the perfect backdrop for the largest public workshops in the history of the company.

On such a small island word rapidly spreads, and on the night of the event the streets were overflowing and the participants treated like celebrities; nervous policemen asked whether it was true that the hundreds of lanterns had real candles in them and were heard muttering about being blamed for allowing St Helier to burn down.

Jersey’s first ever lantern parade processed through the meandering streets of the city, finishing in Parliament Square, where choirs and musicians performed to the awaiting crowd. As the last notes died away confetti cannons ignited from the surrounding rooftops creating a magical snow storm finale.

a m i d w i n t e r pa s s i o nAt Strange Cargo we have observed a curious phenomenon: you

will find no happier audience than during a freezing cold winter

event — even sleet and rain cannot dampen the enthusiasm of

an East Kent crowd, the manifestation perhaps of our inherent

European passion for fire and darkness.

In the northern hemisphere, festivals of light and rituals

celebrating the Winter Solstice can be traced back thousands of

years. During the longest nights of the year, bonfires, processions

and torches have always been used to represent the fundamental

battle of Light against Dark. Midwinter festivals, regardless of

origin or religious tone, create a welcome sense of hope and

celebration to banish the winter chill.

Strange Cargo is currently undertaking research into the

customs and festive traditions of Northern Europe to create an

exciting major winter event for East Kent.S T R A N G E C A R G O 2 0 0 6 A N N U A L16

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Access · Participation · ExcellenceStrange Cargo Arts Company is a registered charity which devises and delivers quality arts-based events and programmes in the public realm (see Introduction, p3). To donate, please fill in this form (or a separate sheet of paper to avoid cutting up your Annual) and return it with a cheque made out to Strange Cargo to:

Strange CargoGeorges House 8 The Old High StreetFolkestoneKent CT20 1RLStrange Cargo registered charity number 1068396

d o n at e to s t r a n g e c a r g oName:

Address:

Postcode:

Telephone:

Email Address:

Please add me to Strange Cargo’s mailing list Amount enclosed: £ :

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a After ten years of working together to establish Strange Cargo as one of the

most innovative and exciting arts companies in the country, founders Art Hewitt and Simon Bolton have now left the building. Simon left the company

in July 2005, following Art’s departure the previous Christmas after Strange

Cargo’s hugely successful tenth anniversary show Decade at the Metropole

Galleries. Simon and Art established Strange Cargo in 1994 after working

together on the Eurotunnel opening with carnival company Same Sky.

Art is still a familiar face on the arts scene as a freelancer, and he recently

worked as Production Manager for the 2005 Whitstable Oyster Festival.

Simon has followed his longstanding dream to teach art, and is currently

completing his teacher training while based at the Harvey Grammar School in

Folkestone.

The team at Strange Cargo wish them both good luck and best wishes for the

future.

At a time of unprecedented cultural regeneration in the Shepway district, Strange Cargo has been commissioned by Amanda Oates, Shepway District Council’s Arts Development Officer, to create a project to explore young people’s perceptions of art in their environment. The development of the Creative Quarter and the proposed international art park, alongside the emergence of a new City Academy specialising in the Visual Arts and European Studies, means that our young people will have greater opportunities than ever to participate in the arts. Strange Cargo has an excellent reputation for management and delivery of projects within schools. We are widely trusted by the schools across the region and projects offered by the company are quickly taken up and mostly over-subscribed.

iArt is an opportunity for participants from these schools to add their voice and creative expression to the cultural fabric being woven across the district. The project will also support two graduate artists by providing project-based training where they will be taught project coordination and practical workshop techniques. The five primary and five secondary schools taking part will explore ‘ways of seeing’ through the work of different artists, followed by a practical session using the immediate school environment as inspiration. Participants will be encouraged to use digital technology to record their discoveries, through photographed images, electronic text and MP3 recordings of their findings. The resulting entries will be judged and all the selected works digitally displayed during an awards ceremony at the Leas Cliff Hall. Following the ceremony, selected images will be reproduced in large photo format for an exhibition in July 2006 at the Sassoon Gallery in Folkestone. The prize for winning entries will be a daytrip to Tate Modern for their class.

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