Last week I visited the Folkestone Triennial 2025 and I got so much more out of it than I had expected. I hadn’t realised how much art is embedded into the whole town and how much outdoor art is on display all year round. It’s probably fair to say that contemporary art has become part of the town’s DNA.

My history of visiting Folkestone has been patchy. Short visits years ago, brief shopping trips with in-laws from Kent and earlier this year a quick stop and a cup of coffee from one of the quirky independent coffee shops on the hilly streets. That led me to think I should return for a longer visit which became a quick walk around the harbour and a stop for fish and chips. Again I thought I’d like to see more. So, when I saw the triennial advertised I thought that would be the perfect opportunity for a longer exploration.

I’ve chosen some photos of the art from the Triennial, some photos from the semi permanent Folkestone Artworks collection and a few general seaside pics.

Beginning with the more permanent collection, there are some chunky pieces. 81 in all are listed on the map in the visitor brochure. I saw only a fraction of these. I’ll start with the one I encountered first in the disused but repurposed and renovated Folkestone Harbour railway station.

This bronze sculpture is titled Rug People and the artist is Paloma Varga Weisz. There are five heads all facing outwards from a central point. The artist said she thought about the range of emotions of passengers using the station in the past. Soldiers embarking to fight in the First World War, being fearful that they’d never return, refugees arriving from Europe or passengers excited to travel on the Orient Express from this terminal.

NOTE: Click on any image in this email to see it in full size on your screen then click on the cross in the upper right to return. I love doing this - it’s strangely satisfying clicking in and out.

Moving along the Harbour Arm which juts out into the sea and protects the harbour, I walked along the top level and came to the Harbour Arm Lighthouse at the end of the pier. On it has been painted in blue block letters the text WEATHER IS A THIRD TO PLACE AND TIME. This mural has been created using a phrase from a poem by the late artist-poet Ian Hamilton Finlay.

The lighthouse itself now serves as a champagne bar.

Like the people in the above photo of the lighthouse, I had walked out along the top level of the breakwater, came down the steps and walked back towards the town on the lower level. My next stop was to take a photo of the huge colourful sign reading FOLKESTONE. This is an artwork by artist Patrick Tuttofuoco. As mentioned before, Folkestone Harbour railway station was a stop on the Orient Express journey. The London to Folkestone section was an English version of the continental ‘real’ Orient Express train. Unlike nowadays with Eurostar, those passengers couldn’t cross the English Channel in a train. For the creation of this sign, Tuttofuoco made the overland journey from Istanbul to Folkestone with two companions, an architect and a filmmaker, and they collected a letter from every country they passed through.

The next piece of art I discovered was by accident. I was following the trail for the triennial works of art so I chanced upon these others. Although later, (when I got home, I discovered them all listed at the back of the triennal booklet.

I saw someone peering into the water through some beams beneath the pier and so I had to crouch down to look as well. It turned out to be an Anthony Gormley metal man sculpture titled Another Time XVIII. For colour this has to be one of my favourite photos of the day. I have to say that when the sun was shining the sea was a beautiful colour of green. I’ve noticed this about Kent that I don’t generally see in other places around the UK that the water can be some lovely shades. Once, off the coast of Ramsgate, the water was sparkling in streaks of almost pure emerald. It’s always a pleasure to see.

In the harbour are two little colourful houses, one pink and one bright orange. You can’t miss these even on a quick visit to Folkestone so I had seen them before. They both have the same name, Holiday Home, and they’re by artist Richard Woods. There are 6 of these in total but I’ve only seen the two in Folkestone Harbour so far. They were commissioned for the Folkestone Triennial 2017 and remained as permanent installations.

Walking on towards Sunny Sands beach I came upon a metal pavilion called Steve. Yes, that is the title of this installation by sculptor Sarah Staton. This was a slow burner for me. Although I liked the chunkiness and the rusty colour of it instantly, I was too busy paying attention to a piece that was part of the current triennial to give it proper attention. It was only really when I looked at the photo and I saw it with new eyes that I loved how practical it is. It’s not just an artistic structure, it’s a pavilion with a seating area inside and plants around it. It’s the perfect place to shelter from too much sun or rain. I looked it up online and the artist said she created it as a people friendly sculpture. It was originally commissioned for the Folkestone Triennial 2014. It’s reminiscent of the work of Richard Serra (the vast sheets of vertical steel slabs titled Fulcrum at Liverpool Street Station in London) but to my mind has more beauty in it. I like that it’s both beautiful and useful. It fits in well colourwise with the bricks and roof tiles of the houses behind.

Having now reached Sunny Sands, I saw the Folkestone Mermaid by sculptor Cornelia Parker. I couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful or joyful scene!

This mermaid has been keeping watch for quite a while now having been commissioned for the Folkestone Triennial 2011.

Here’s a quoted section from the Art Fund website :

“Inspired by the story of The Sea Lady by HG Wells (a long-time resident of Folkestone) and the famous fairy-tale of Hans Christian Anderson (who visited Folkestone in 1857), Parker developed the concept for the work in 2009 during the Copenhagen Climate Conference. The Mermaid’s watchful gaze over the horizon is also an allusion to the threat of rising sea levels and endangered populations living by the sea.

The work takes the form of a life-size bronze cast of a local resident. Folkestone residents were invited to model for the Mermaid and through a process of open submission Parker shortlisted six potentials, with a stated aim not to find 'a lookalike of the idealised Copenhagen Mermaid, but ... a real person, a free spirit'. The successful candidate, whose likeness has now been installed overlooking the sandy beach at the end of The Stade, next to Folkestone’s harbour, was Georgina Baker, a local mother of two.”

Then, moving back into the town, there is the building with a mural titled Folkestone Lightbulb by Michael Craig-Martin.

While I was down near Sunny Sands beach, I was lucky enough to meet another photographer who lives in Folkestone. He shoots in black and white and captures all the beauty and quirkiness of Folkestone. We exchanged Instagram addresses and if you’d like to see his work it’s at @noirfolke (link in bold). It always properly rounds off the day to have a chat with a photographer and get the opportunity to see another viewpoint.

Next I’ll move on to the artworks I photographed which were part of the Folkestone Triennial 2025.

First we have the multi headed bird looking in three directions, to the land, to the sea and towards its baby. It’s a bit of a second take to see that the bird has breasts. The work is titled Above Front Tears, Oui Connect by artist Laure Prouvost.

Next we have The Ministry of Sewers, an installation in a beautiful little building, near the old Folkestone Harbour Railway Station, by the art collective Cooking Sections.

And the third and final image I’ve chose from this year’s triennial is by artist Céline Condorelli and it’s titled Dedication (To the Sea, To the Sea).

A quote from the triennial booklet :

“A series of flag-like sculptures point towards the sea, with gratitude and promise. Inspired by the maritime code, they honour those whose lives depend on the sea…”

And of course, no visit to the seaside can be just about art. There has to be time to take in the other visual delights such as deckchairs, ice cream, a sea wall, cobbled streets and, in my case, some beautifully textured rusty grating from the harbour.

Tips for the Folkestone Triennial 2025 and Folkestone in general

it lasts until Sunday 19 October 2025
pick up a booklet from various places in Folkestone or one of the triennial guides - see pages 1 - 9
in the booklet the full list of 81 Folkestone Artworks are listed at the back on page 22 (don’t miss this like I did)
the Sunny Sands beach, overlooked by the Folkestone Mermaid, is only available for access and swimming at low tide
the home made gelato from Herbert’s Ice Cream Kiosk on the seafront is probably the best I’ve ever tasted

As always, you can contact me by replying to this email.

Loren x

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