ACADEMIC STUDY
This time of year always brings forward an avalanche of academic and creative
inquiry from students and tutors who have been inspired by Dreamland and its many
themes from the science of amusement park planning to fine art, architecture, social
history, heritage, regeneration and the performing arts.
So, it's no wonder that this year, likely to be the last year we see Dreamland in its
current defunct condition, demand for access to the amusement park, its environs,
designs, archive and the project team is greater than ever.
With approximately seventy students engaged from Canterbury School of
Architecture, University for the Creative Arts foundation course and University for the
Creative Arts fine art department, Canterbury Christ Church University performing
arts department and Canterbury Christ Church photograph department, we look
forward to seeing the outcomes and exhibiting some of the resulting work in the
Visitor & Learning Centre Arcade later this year.
MARGATE ON THE RUN
The Dreamland Trust met with the Fred Perry design team in Margate last year who
were looking for inspiration for a 2014 Spring/Summer capsule collection. The
collection coincides with this year's 50th anniversary of the infamous 1964 Whitsun
weekend youth clash on Margate sands. For over 50 years mods, skinheads and
scooter boys made the weekend pilgrimage to Margate marking their cultural territory
and expressing their identity through music and fashion.
In the early 1980s scooter Jover and illustrator Paddy Smith began producing and
selling commemorative 'weekender' patches. The hand-printed designs, exclusively
available at each event, began to be worn as medals - proof of attendance. Each patch
was unique to that weekender and the design told a story about the date and
destination. This season, six exclusive patches have been designed by Paddy Smith
and are applied to a series of Fred Perry styles, illustrating the enduring relationship
between the Laurel Wreath and British subcultures. Each patch celebrates a unique
element of the weekenders and one patch pays tribute to the rejuvenation of Margate' s
iconic Dreamland. The full collection will be available in all Fred Perry Authentic
shops and now online at www .fredperry.com
Nick Laister (Chairman, The Dreamland Trust)
www.dreamlandmargate.com
www.savedreamland.co.uk
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