Summer of Colour: Margate explodes into a festival of colour

This summer, Margate is transformed into a festival of colour! Feel the joy of being by the sea in a colourful explosion of dance, performance, theatre, art and activity in the town and surrounding area of Thanet. The festival is inspired by Turner Contemporary’s summer exhibition Mondrian and Colour and the 20th century artist, whose love of colour changed painting. Initiated by Turner Contemporary, working with partners across Margate, Thanet and East Kent, the project brings people together through a celebration of colour. Victoria Pomery, Director of Turner Contemporary, states: “We are  looking forward to working  with local residents, partners and businesses as part of our exciting Summer of Colour  festival. This is a unique and collaborative project which will animate Margate. Summer of Colour will transform the town and the surrounding area of Thanet through an explosion of activities, performances and events.” Every week throughout the summer, experience something colourful, new and exciting in and around Margate through a series of events and activities. On the opening day 24 May Margate fills with coloured windmills for Moving with the Wind. Led by artist Carlos Cortes, around 100 3-5 metre high windmills are installed across Margate beach and town, creating the backdrop for a large-scale participatory performance with Cortes and his 'Build Your Worlds Collective' that celebrates colour and movement. Turner Contemporary hosts a Tango on the Terrace and ‘Milonga’ party with Morgan’s Vintage Dance Hall on 13 July. Learn some of the steps at the drop in tango workshops on 12 July ahead of the performance of a new choreography on the terrace on 13 July led by professional dancers and accompanied by live music. A full scale replica of a herring fishing boat with a 21-foot mast swathed in a knitted coat is on display at Turner Contemporary at the Coat for a Boat exhibition from 15 to 20 July. Artist Dan Chilcott coordinates Margate community’s creative response to the project, which culminates in an exhibition in the gallery’s Clore Learning Studio. The exhibition is part of a wider project of Follow the Herring, focusing on a shared maritime heritage which is a collaboration between The Customs House and Guild of Lillians and includes performances of Get Up and Tie Your Fingers at Theatre Royal Margate. An undisclosed number of identically dressed women known as the Red Ladies infiltrate Margate from 23 to 24 July and embark on a series of mysterious, visually arresting missions before gathering at Margate Theatre Royal from 25 to 26 July to perform their ‘theatrical demonstration’ in five movements. Performed to an original score, featuring live drums and violin, Red Ladies by Clod Ensemble is about connectivity, identity, community, complexity, transformation and love. An investigation into the ways human beings and other animals behave when in groups. Other highlights of Summer of Colour include: Music, art and performance on the First Friday of every month at artistic hubs across Margate (LIMBO, Resort Studios, Crate, Turner Contemporary and Tom Thumb Theatre), a Colour Walk around Margate Museum on 19 and 20 July, Colour Catwalk at Turner Contemporary on 24 August with designers Tatty Devine and Julian J Smith as well as further activities taking place at the gallery throughout the summer such as Printing, 3D Colour Games, Animate Boogie Woogie, Build and Play and more creative activities. The Margate Jazz Festival, which takes place from 20 until 22 June, will be staged at venues across the town as well as on Turner Contemporary’s South Terrace. The Summer of Colour is made possible by the enthusiasm, energy and generosity of artists and businesses across the town, keen to play a part in making 2014 a memorable and colourful summer. The Summer of Colour needs you! From photos to comments, share your Summer of Colour experiences, and events you are holding from 24 May until 21 September on summerofcolour.org