Conversations in Margate: Part 1
Last week I popped to Margate for day with my sis, on the windiest of days! I’ve heard different opinions about Margate for a while and thought it was time to gather my own thoughts on it. Two conversations particularly resonated with me, hence the title of this blog post.
We walked up the high street and came across an exhibition at The Margate School titled “Consider” An Exhibition by Phien O’Phien. The title was certainly intriguing. As we weighed up whether to peek in or not, the door was opened with a friendly smile and a warm invitation to look around. The exhibition allowed for a small one-way loop. The exhibition opened with some bold printed statements. To the right slightly, a police incident tent was erected with several colourful chairs inside. The interpretation on the left explained the sad reality that each chair resembled a person who was homeless and had passed away on the streets.
Continuing along the one-way system, the piece on the left asked audiences to consider how many people believe in reincarnation. I wondered if this statement somehow related to the previous interpretation panel?
Straight ahead, more chairs could be seen behind the police tent, emphasises the people who were homeless who would pass away on streets – again a sharp reality check.
After looping back to the beginning the person who initially ushered us in, asked if we had any questions. We ended up have quite a long chat and it turned out they were the artist behind this exhibition! I queried about the connection between the piece on reincarnation and the police incident tent. From this, I came to understand that there was not a specific relationship between these pieces, despite both connecting to the cycle of life. My sis asked about the levels homelessness in Margate and we thought about this in comparison to London. This conversation cast my mind to the work of the Museum of Homelessness who have recently launched the Streetmuseum in Highbury Corner, Islington. I wonder if Phien O’Phien is aware of this work and vice versa?
We spoke about space a lot. In terms of how close in proximity we are to the lives of people who are homeless — eg the beach or a bench in a graveyard — yet this has become so normalised. Large parts of society choose to ignore what’s happening right in front of us. Which is worrying reality to be a part of, especially as we move towards the cold winter months…
To borrow from this exhibition title, how often have you considered the lives of people who are homeless?
Perhaps consider checking out the future work of Phien O’Phien and the Museum of Homelessness
