The Margate Seagull Project
The Client:
Dreamland Margate - a picture-perfect entertainment and amusement venue on the Kent coast. A one-stop-shop of culture, food, festival fun and seasonal, vintage-style amusement park rides. Considered to be one of the oldest-surviving amusement parks in Great Britain, dating back to the early 1870s.
The Work:
The Margate Seagull Project was a community art installation created by myself and Because Creative for Dreamland Margate. We brought together local community groups and creative organisations that Dreamland support to create a Seagull Trail for the parks 2022 summer season. Eleven wooden birds have been uniquely decorated by those involved and hidden across the park, providing a fun free summer activity for families and highlighting the great work and creativity of those involved. On entering the park, visitors are greeted with a large seagull installation and signage that explains the project, encouraging visitors to ‘Spin the Wheel’ to find out which seagull to search for. A trail map and ‘Decorate Your Own Seagull’ template are also available to download from the Dreamland website.
Full list of seagulls and creators:
Toni by Kent Association for the Blind (featuring motion-activated seagull sounds by Emily Peasgood Studio)
Sophia by Margate Women’s Institute
Johnny Cheese by The BeYou Project (part of Porchlight charity)
Jet by People Dem Collective
High Flyer Slip by UK Creative Festival
High Flyer Slop by Creative Foundation
Jarlsch by Arts Education Exchange
Troser by Resort Studios
Marina by RISE UP. CLEAN UP.
Margot by Hannah Warner Creative
Tina Turner Contemporary by Because Creative
Photography credit: @_alannageorgette @georgettestudios
“We are delighted that so many of the organisations and CIC's that we support took part in decorating their birds and Dreamland is proud to display the unique designs around the park - with lots of visitors enjoying the trail. Most importantly it's a great way of highlighting these organisations and the excellent work they do.”
Amanda McCabe, Dreamland