Plastic windows installed on Margate's Grade II listed Stone Pier tower

What have they done!

I noticed today that the tower on Margate's Grade II listed Stone Pier (aka the Harbour Arm) had scaffolding up and as I got closer I thought it looked odd. All of the metal framed windows have been removed and replaced with UPVC plastic! The tower has also been painted a shade of what I can only describe as a cream magnolia. It looks awful. Something between a kitchen extension and a porta-cabin.

According to Thanet District Council's planning enquiry line (01843 577150) there's not been an application for Listed Building Consent nor landlord's permission.

Whoever has done these works to this much loved, prominent Margate landmark which had a delicate industrial character looking out to sea, seems to have just turned up and carried out the works without the necessary permissions.

DISPLACEMENT- MARGATE HARBOUR ARM GALLERY

Helder Clara is a Portugese artist living in Margate, which has been his home for the last 14 months. His new work ‘Displacement’ explores the feelings of disconnected-ness, of being cut adrift, that are experienced if we live in one place, but have our origins in another.

Helder has used recycled materials and the knitting process to create an installation that addresses these conflicting feelings . Knitting, like most craft work, is a repetitive and contemplative activity allowing the artist to ponder over, to sift through, his feelings about being a stranger in another land. The recycled clothes he has used carry their own meaning: they are ‘cast off’, ‘unwanted’, but yet they hold potential for another owner.

Using jellyfish as symbolic representations, Helder creates an immersive environment in which we are invited to imagine ourselves cast adrift. Jellyfish are ancient primitive animals: they encompass both beauty and danger. We are fascinated when we see them, but keep our distance. At the mercy of currents, tides and the weather, they are a metaphor for the lives of immigrants: disconnected, adrift, displaced.

‘Displacement’ runs from Saturday 31st July to Sunday 8^th August, Margate Harbour Arm Gallery - open daily from 1pm to 6pm and 7pm – 10pm, Admission free.