The Crown

King George IV was an amazing character, famous for an extravagant lifestyle. He adored decoration and self adornment and was responsible for his coronation crown being so lavish that the diamonds had to be rented and then returned.

This artwork draws on the bling lifestyle of the man who gave the Ramsgate harbour its Royal status but it also considers the issue of the beautiful beach just beyond and the fact that it is often blighted by litter. The artist’s residency was commissioned by Ramsgate Arts for the 2014 Summer arts festival. The brief was to transform the toilet block by Ramsgate main sands.

Mooch brought together a team of experts and volunteers who worked collecting bottles from the beach area as raw materials for the artwork while encouraging beach users to be responsible with their litter and telling them about the extraordinary history of George IV. The bottles were then assembled into a lightweight, temporary artwork that was installed on the building which has been transformed into a public art plinth for this ephemeral sculpture.

The 4.5 metre high crown design is based on the George IV original for this coronation and works with the crushed plastic bottles to reproduce the sparkling character of the diamonds. This artwork proved to be a fantastically popular visitor attraction not only at first hand and during the crown making workshops, but on Facebook and Twitter.

The Crown was de-commissioned at the end of September and recycled but it will endure as a memory of a Royal icon that survives to this day, leaving the legacy of a cleaner beach for all and new future possibilities for an overlooked building.

Many thanks to the project supporters and sponsors:

MPL Waste Management

Ramsgate Town Council

Thanet District Council

Travis Perkins

Work is now starting on a possible permanent version of King George IV’s crown in Ramsgate harbour. Don’t forget to support and donate to help Mooch continue this work.