Explore the South East
Waterfronts is one of 2021’s biggest new outdoor tourist attractions bringing together seven art installations across Margate, Gravesend, Southend-on-Sea, Bexhill-on-Sea, Hastings, Eastbourne and Folkestone. All the artists have taken their inspiration from their coastal locations.
The art trail spans 1400 km of impressive coastline from the East Sussex Downs to the Thames Estuary and the world’s first art GeoTour, an exciting opportunity that offers a naturally socially-distanced experience that connects people and places, influenced by coastal stories.
Why not travel between these fascinating coastal towns, enjoying the impressive cultural adventures, wide choice of accommodation and local food and drink? Waterfronts will only be on show for a limited time, from May to November 2021. Take a look at the tempting itineraries on England’s Creative Coast and plan an arts-inspired tour!
First installation to be unveiled was April is the Cruellest Month by American artist Michael Rakowitz which opened to the public 1 May in partnership with Turner Contemporary in Margate, Kent.
The new installation introduces a life-sized statue on Margate’s seafront alongside the Surfboat memorial that gazes out to sea and is overlooked by the shelter where T S Eliot wrote part of the Waste Land poem which starts: “April is the cruellest month..”
Next, venture to Gravesend Pier, where London-based artist Jasleen Kaur has created The first thing I did was to kiss the ground, a commission with Cement Fields Gravesend, a large-scale sculpture and sound-piece right on the water’s edge. This work was also part of this year’s Art, Music, Literature & Film Estuary 21 Festival.
See all the Creative Coast artworks on our interactive map here