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Things we like will greet you as you climb the stairs to Marine Studios.
This could be a sculpture, a design classic, an archeological find or an inexplicable piece of curious wonder.
If you would like to suggest an object for things we like, which will also be featured online, please let us know.
Scroll across to see the things we like, present and past.
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#6: Tony Ovendon’s Pegwell Bay Whale Collection
On March 3rd 2011 a sperm whale died on the shore at Pegwell Bay, Thanet.
The whale has since been removed but thanks to Tony Ovenden some pieces of whale bone have been recovered and are displayed here.
Tony has been working with the whale bone and has realised why it is a popular material with Inuit tribes who use the bones to create everything from spearheads to combs. The ease with which the bone can be smoothed and crafted has meant that Tony has been able to create needles and spearheads of his own. Some of these can be seen on display here.
The Pegwell whale has not been the only creature new to Thanet shores in the last year. The Chinese Mitten Crabs are making homes for themselves around the Thanet coastline. These mitten crabs, so named because of the strange appearance of hair on their claws, are known to be a very invasive species and have made their way through both North America and Europe. Examples of these invaders are on display currently at Marine Studios, along with some of the Pegwell Bay Whale.
Follow Tony’s exploits on his blog:
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#5 - Gordon Frankland’s Mosaic Illuminations: ‘New Lamps for Old’
Gordon Frankland works with glass. We were introduced to Gordon as a man to know if you have large windows in a seafront building. Gordon’s visits restore the clarity and sparkle to our vision – he comes and removes the salty build-up from the windows so we can see out. Gordon cleans our windows and when he does so he shares his stories of Margate, Dreamland and the Art world.
Drawing inspiration from sources which range from Chinese Bronzes to Navajo pottery Gordon has created a collection of sculptural glass works. Each piece is unique, some reuse salvaged glass, some of it from Dreamland, while more recent works use a technique of his own invention. This process laminates together planes of glass creating pieces which hold the coloured light in their cut edges.
The work displayed at Marine Studios was inspired by an ancient Chinese bronze ritual vessel.
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#4: Head – Wunmonije Compound, Ife This beautiful bronze was made from a cast of the original sculpture that was recently displayed in the British Museums exhibition, “Kingdom of Ife: Sculptures from West Africa”. The original sculpture was made from copper alloy sometime during the 14th- early 15th century C.E. in Ife, Nigeria and owes the indentation on it’s right cheek to it’s unexpected discovery in 1938. In the course of digging the foundations for a house at a spot that was probably once part of Ife’s royal palace, workers discovered a group of remarkably naturalistic copper-alloy heads, now sometimes called the Wunmonije heads. The pick axes used to break through the earth accidentally hit some of the heads and they have been left permanently dented, an indentation that was apparent in the cast made of the head and that is therefore visible on the reproduction. In 1948 these heads were leant to the British museum, during which time a cast of one of the heads was made. This cast was then later used as a learning tool by students of the Royal College of Art foundry course which is why we have our copy here today. Visit the original sculpture at the British Museum Kingdom of Ife: Sculptures from West Africa Open until 4th July http://www.britishmuseum.org/
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#3: Tony Ovenden’s ’Margate: Under the Sand’ collection – Part 2 SO popular was the display of Tony’s finds last month (scroll across for more), we are showcasing more of his treasures this month. New additions include: Teredo Worm, a key from the Pettmans Walpole Bay Bathing Pool, Sea Coal and Cannel Coal and some interesting looking teeth…drop by Marine Studios to take a gander For more information on Tony and his beachcombing, visit his blog.
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#2: Tony Ovenden’s ’Margate: Under the Sand’ collection
Margate is a time capsule of maritime, Victorian and Edwardian history, and a mere stroll along the beach will reveal many of its stories. Some of these stories are shown on each layer of our display case this month. Since several construction works took place in the bay in the 19th and 20th centuries, the sands have silted up, meaning objects have remained buried very much where they lay. Occasionally a natural phenomenon will cause the sand to erode, revealing such finds to tell the history of Margate. This collection was recovered from the sands by local beachcomber, Tony Ovenden.
Edited from Tony Ovenden’s blog Thanet Coast Life where you can find out more about his local discoveries.
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#1: The Evoluon Rhinoceros Skull
In 1966, the Evoluon science museum was opened in Eindhoven by electronics company Philips. Distinctive by its futuristic ‘flying saucer’ exterior, the interior exhibition space was created by James Gardner, one of Britain’s most important post-war exhibition and museum designers.
When the museum closed in 1989, some of the artifacts, including many animal skulls, were sent to Gardner’s studio in London, where Richard Houghton of HKD was assisting him at the time. ‘G’, as he was known to friends, and his team, set about trying to find a home for the skulls within national collections including the National History Museum.
However, as their origin could not be determined they were unsuitable for such collections, so were donated to art schools, including the Royal College of Art, as study objects.
Former tutor at the College, sculptor and artist Bryan Kneale RA, well known for his own Bone Drawing series, has since found a home for this rhinoceros skull in his London studio.