Creative Events Student has her Bookcase Bench proudly installed on Herne Bay’s seafront as part of a new series of installations.

The Exhibition, held at Beach Creative in Herne Bay opens today, Weds 17th September, which features a series of benches created by individual local artists.

Margot Laureau, a third year student at the School of Music and Fine Art, was one of the artists selected through a ‘Peoples Millions’ supported competition by Canterbury City Council, to design and produce a bench that will be positioned along Beach Street in the beautiful coastal town, Herne Bay. We featured her work on the bench a few months ago, how it is created by books and drawings of the area, and now the bench is fully installed awaiting the grand opening and exhibition.

Margot is delighted with her Bookcase Bench:

Herne Bay has a lot to say through its architecture, history and people. The bench I made was built on this idea of creating an installation where I tell all about the treasures I have discovered as I learn about this town. I thought about doing something with books. Books represent knowledge and culture. Nowadays, people are using books less; they use I-pads, laptops or other machines instead. In few years time books or paper may be obsolete.   Although it is made of wood, the bench is the shape of multiple piles of books. It is my recreation of a library. Marcel Duchamp, who spent time in Herne Bay over 100 years ago, inspired me with his ready-made pieces of work.
I want people to know how the town developed during the last few hundred years. I decided to illustrate stories and the history of Herne Bay on the ‘bookcase’ I have done.
If you have the time to visit it, you will be able to see famous monuments built around the town, such as the Clock Tower, the Pier, The Memorial Park, Herne Bay Market and much more. The drawings include people at play.
I would like the audience, who will sit on the bench, to be reminded of all the little details, made by real facts that happened in Herne Bay but also mixed in with some fantasy drawings that add poetry and humour.
The bench is made of wood, paper, ink, and vanish.  A resin is going to be put on the top at the end of the month to make it stronger.

You can view more images on Margot’s hard work and the production of the bench on the School of Music and Fine Art’s Facebook page.

Visit Margot Laureau’s website.

The Beach Creative website.

Images courtesy of Greg Davidson Photography.