David Jones: Margate matters and art is the key
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by David Jones
"Don't forget your buckets and spades and cossies and
all.
We'll have a pile of jellied eels at the cockle
stall.
We'll go on the pier and we'll have a beer at the side of
the sea.
You can keep the Costa Brava, I'm telling you mate, I'd
rather Have a day down Margate with all me family."
That's Margate, as portrayed by Cockney duo Chas & Dave in
their song of the same name.
And, indeed, that was an accurate image of Margate for
generations.
While Margate may not have been everybody's cup of tea, there's
no denying the seaside resort was a mecca for day-trippers. It was
a vibrant, exciting place. A place to have fun.
A place to forget your worries for the day. A family trip to
Dreamland would be remembered for years.
That was Margate in its hey-day. More recently, it has become
tatty and the butt of comedians' jokes, a place to avoid.
But, after decades of decline, hopes for a revival are now
pinned on the £17.4m Turner Contemporary arts venue.
Some critics may argue the project is an elitist waste of money,
cash which might have been spent on revamping Margate's faded
"Golden Mile."
The counter argument is that while you will not get much in the
way of regeneration for £17.4m, it will be money well spent if the
Turner Contemporary serves as a catalyst for further investment and
more visitors.
That is the view of Margate-born Tracey Emin, whose art
creations, love them or hate them, have earned her a world-wide
reputation.
And she may well be right. Many down-at-heel towns have been
transformed by a single iconic project.
In the view of some, the Turner Contemporary is a huge gamble.
But it is a gamble worth taking. Doing nothing is always the safe
option. But it always achieves ...nothing.
Monday, June 14 2010
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