An artist claims he has buried £10,000 of gold on a beach in Folkestone as part of a timeless piece of art.Treasure hunters get to keep the 30 bars if they can find them once the tide is out.The project, called Folkestone Digs, has been shrouded in secrecy until now.The bars are of different sizes and have the standard gold bullion marked Made in London.
It is part of the town's triennial festival which happens every three years and has previously included work by artists including Tracey Emin, Jeremy Deller and Martin Creed.It allows artists to use public spaces in the town as a canvas.This year German artist Michael Sailstorfer has hidden 30 bars of 24-carat gold, worth £10,000, under the sand of the Outer Harbour beach.
Triennial curator Lewis Biggs says it will be interesting to see if the successful treasure seeker cashes in the gold or keeps it and it gains value as a piece of art.
"An interesting part of the art work is considering whether it is going to be worth more as an art work. Do you take it to the pawnbrokers or do you take it to Sotheby's? Or do you keep it on the mantlepiece because you think it is going to be worth more later? Will its price increase as an artwork or as a piece of gold?,” he told the Guardian.
"It is about people coming to the beach and digging and possibly finding hidden treasure. Some people will get lucky, some people will not get lucky – and that's life.
“The piece lasts forever because no one will ever know if all the pieces have ever be found or not.”
The piece, called Folkestone Digs, has been commissioned by the Bristol-based arts producers Situations.
It has put safety measures in place in case it gets too busy and metal washers have been placed in the sand to fool those using metal detectors.
Artists including Yoko Ono are taking part in the festival which runs from August 30 to November 2.
The festival is funded by independent charity Creative Foundation, which is rejuvenating Folkestown’s old town to create an area for artists.
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