The Tibetan Key and Other Stories from the Hotel Metropole
14 APRIL - 10 MAY
FREE EXHIBITION
Things aren’t always what they seem, as this exhibition showcasing research from behind the walls of Folkestone’s iconic Hotel Metropole would suggest.
There is a strangeness about hotels. They project an illusion of permanence, and yet their business by its nature is transitory. On the heights of the Leas, along from Folkestone Harbour stands the Metropole, an opulent Victorian hotel now converted into apartments. The glittering ballroom and bars of its palmier days are long gone, as is the wealthy clientele. Beyond the nostalgia however, there is also a darker, stranger side to the hotel’s history.
This exhibition presents a series of these mysterious connections, including Cold War subterranean investigations, a religious eccentric and a shady political movement.
This April, kollectiv plays host to an exhibition of curious tales from inside the opulent façade of one of Folkestone’s most iconic buildings, the Hotel Metropole.
The Metropole, built on the Leas above Folkestone Harbour, epitomised the trajectory of British seaside hotels. The glittering ballroom and bars of its palmier days are long gone, as is the wealthy clientele. Opened in 1897, it was soon rivalled by the Grand Hotel next door. Trade fell away in the early 1920s and it was decided that the Metropole would operate only during the summer months from then on. After service as a hospital in World War Two, the hotel staggered on through the 1950s until its closure in 1959. However, this wasn’t the end of the story for the Metropole. In 1960, the building was converted into The New Metropole, a complex of flats with a leisure centre, restaurant and arts centre.
In 2020, artist and Metropole resident Terry Perk, came by certain documents concerning a strange aspect of the hotel’s past. Intrigued, he assembled a research group of artists and designers to try and make sense of the fragmented story he had stumbled upon. Their findings inspired a small book: ‘The Tibetan Key’. Further delving into the Metropole’s less explored history has since turned up other odd associations, two of which, ‘Jonah Shepherd, Euphratean Architect’ and ‘Arthur Ducklin, Failed Demagogue’ form part of this exhibition.
This second major show since kollectiv opened in June 2024, presents this ongoing research and Perk’s collaborations with artists Julian Rowe, Matthew Andrew, Paul Crawley, Diane Dunn, and Ben Fletcher.
The exhibition is curated by Katie and Joseph Beton from Beton Collective.
14 APRIL - 10 MAY
FREE EXHIBITION
Things aren’t always what they seem, as this exhibition showcasing research from behind the walls of Folkestone’s iconic Hotel Metropole would suggest.
There is a strangeness about hotels. They project an illusion of permanence, and yet their business by its nature is transitory. On the heights of the Leas, along from Folkestone Harbour stands the Metropole, an opulent Victorian hotel now converted into apartments. The glittering ballroom and bars of its palmier days are long gone, as is the wealthy clientele. Beyond the nostalgia however, there is also a darker, stranger side to the hotel’s history.
This exhibition presents a series of these mysterious connections, including Cold War subterranean investigations, a religious eccentric and a shady political movement.
This April, kollectiv plays host to an exhibition of curious tales from inside the opulent façade of one of Folkestone’s most iconic buildings, the Hotel Metropole.
The Metropole, built on the Leas above Folkestone Harbour, epitomised the trajectory of British seaside hotels. The glittering ballroom and bars of its palmier days are long gone, as is the wealthy clientele. Opened in 1897, it was soon rivalled by the Grand Hotel next door. Trade fell away in the early 1920s and it was decided that the Metropole would operate only during the summer months from then on. After service as a hospital in World War Two, the hotel staggered on through the 1950s until its closure in 1959. However, this wasn’t the end of the story for the Metropole. In 1960, the building was converted into The New Metropole, a complex of flats with a leisure centre, restaurant and arts centre.
In 2020, artist and Metropole resident Terry Perk, came by certain documents concerning a strange aspect of the hotel’s past. Intrigued, he assembled a research group of artists and designers to try and make sense of the fragmented story he had stumbled upon. Their findings inspired a small book: ‘The Tibetan Key’. Further delving into the Metropole’s less explored history has since turned up other odd associations, two of which, ‘Jonah Shepherd, Euphratean Architect’ and ‘Arthur Ducklin, Failed Demagogue’ form part of this exhibition.
This second major show since kollectiv opened in June 2024, presents this ongoing research and Perk’s collaborations with artists Julian Rowe, Matthew Andrew, Paul Crawley, Diane Dunn, and Ben Fletcher.
The exhibition is curated by Katie and Joseph Beton from Beton Collective.
14 APRIL - 10 MAY
FREE EXHIBITION
Things aren’t always what they seem, as this exhibition showcasing research from behind the walls of Folkestone’s iconic Hotel Metropole would suggest.
There is a strangeness about hotels. They project an illusion of permanence, and yet their business by its nature is transitory. On the heights of the Leas, along from Folkestone Harbour stands the Metropole, an opulent Victorian hotel now converted into apartments. The glittering ballroom and bars of its palmier days are long gone, as is the wealthy clientele. Beyond the nostalgia however, there is also a darker, stranger side to the hotel’s history.
This exhibition presents a series of these mysterious connections, including Cold War subterranean investigations, a religious eccentric and a shady political movement.
This April, kollectiv plays host to an exhibition of curious tales from inside the opulent façade of one of Folkestone’s most iconic buildings, the Hotel Metropole.
The Metropole, built on the Leas above Folkestone Harbour, epitomised the trajectory of British seaside hotels. The glittering ballroom and bars of its palmier days are long gone, as is the wealthy clientele. Opened in 1897, it was soon rivalled by the Grand Hotel next door. Trade fell away in the early 1920s and it was decided that the Metropole would operate only during the summer months from then on. After service as a hospital in World War Two, the hotel staggered on through the 1950s until its closure in 1959. However, this wasn’t the end of the story for the Metropole. In 1960, the building was converted into The New Metropole, a complex of flats with a leisure centre, restaurant and arts centre.
In 2020, artist and Metropole resident Terry Perk, came by certain documents concerning a strange aspect of the hotel’s past. Intrigued, he assembled a research group of artists and designers to try and make sense of the fragmented story he had stumbled upon. Their findings inspired a small book: ‘The Tibetan Key’. Further delving into the Metropole’s less explored history has since turned up other odd associations, two of which, ‘Jonah Shepherd, Euphratean Architect’ and ‘Arthur Ducklin, Failed Demagogue’ form part of this exhibition.
This second major show since kollectiv opened in June 2024, presents this ongoing research and Perk’s collaborations with artists Julian Rowe, Matthew Andrew, Paul Crawley, Diane Dunn, and Ben Fletcher.
The exhibition is curated by Katie and Joseph Beton from Beton Collective.