Good news… Margate Rocks is back! The 6th Margate Rocks Festival of Contemporary Visual Art will take place between 2-11 May 2008. Situated in and around Margate, this year’s festival explores the relationship between ‘Art & Ecology’.

Showcasing cutting edge work by emerging and established artists, the festival will highlight areas of social, environmental and cultural fact and fiction. The programme aims to create a multidisciplinary dialogue that audiences of all ages can access through a variety of exciting commissions, exhibitions, events, talks, films and workshops.

Participants include Heather & Ivan Morison, Franny Armstrong, Billy Childish, Mark McGowan, Michaela Crimmin, Andrew Kötting and Dr Mark Miodownik. Work will be sited in an assortment of exhibition spaces – from historical to disused, conventional to alternative.

The festival organisers are inviting emerging and established artists, artist groups and curators to submit proposals for exhibition during the festival. You can find out more about Margate Rocks, or join their mailing list by visiting www.margaterocks.com

In the coming months I’m sure you’ll be seeing alot more of Margate Rocks around town, and we’ll continue to post more news about this years festival as the time grows nearer.

Substation Gallery, just off the high street at 6 Bilton Square, is hosting a group exhibition titled ‘Hugging for the English’.

Many of the works and events have been inspired by various different influences from within the town itself. Whilst it is situated in present day Margate, the nostalgic past is not forgotten.

The exhibition is intended to transcend the boundary between the viewer and the artwork to the extent that without the viewer, much of the work would remain incomplete.

In the run up to the exhibition, artist Victoria Foster’s ‘Sovenir Swap Shop’ is open and inviting you to contribute an item. Head down to the Substation Gallery to satisfy your curiosity!

The exhibition opens on Saturday the 17th at 6pm, and is then open from the 21st November until the closing events on the 30th November.

Visit the exhibition website for more information.

Look back over the history of the Turner Contemporary, and see the events that stand out:

• The unveiling of the Snøhetta + Spence “blob” (31.10.01)
• Installation and subsequent washing-away of the test sculpture (24.01.05)
• U-turn over Snøhetta + Spence design - “back to the drawing board” (08.02.06)
• David Chipperfield chosen to design new gallery with £15 million budget (27.07.06)

After nearly a year of waiting, we will soon be able to add the “unveiling of the new Turner Contemporary design” to the time line.

David Chipperfield will present the designs for the new Turner Contemporary tonight (18th June). Turneround Margate will be present at the presentation, and we plan to bring you a comprehensive digest of all essential information, opinions and plans very soon after.

The presentation begins at 6pm till 8pm at the Margate Winter Gardens. Entrance is free but space is limited. It will be followed by an exhibition of the designs at Droit House, open Friday to Sunday, 10.00 - 17.00 from 22 June until 2 September.

Don’t forget to read our guide to some of David Chipperfield’s previous designs and what we could expect for Margate.

Mike Nelson who has previously exhibited in Margate has been named in this year’s Turner Prize shortlist.

His 2005 installation “Spanning Fort Road and Mansion Street - Between a Formula and a Code”, which was commissioned by Turner Contemporary, saw Nelson occupy a large portion of Fort Road (just off Margate seafront) to create a dark, mysterious maze of hydroponics and primitive dark rooms.

The installation, called Spanning Fort Road and Mansion Street: Between a Formula and a Code, also includes rooms kitted out as primitive darkrooms, hung with hundreds of photographs of the sea, sky and buildings of Margate, as if the result of a covert, obscure and possibly deranged surveillance project.

Nelson said at the time,

“Maybe people will hate it here… But I think people like digging round in old spaces. If they can get past the horrible idea it’s art I think they’ll enjoy it.”

Regardless of your view towards the Turner Prize, it is hugely encouraging to see that Margate continually attracts artists like Nelson, who go on to great acclaim.

Other Turner winners and nominees to work in Margate include Antony Gormley (1994 winner and proponent of The Margate Exodus), Jeremy Deller (2004 winner behind the Steam-Powered Internet Machine) and of course Tracy Emin (1999 nominee) - I’d better give Turner, the man himself, a mention too!

Read about “Spanning Fort Road and Mansion Street - Between a Formula and a Code” on Guardian Unlimited (and more on Mike Nelson) and this years Turner Prize shortlist at BBC News.

Update 24/05: Victoria Pomery, Director of Turner Contemporary said

“We are delighted that Mike Nelson is on this year’s Turner Prize shortlist and are committed to working with artists to create new and innovative works in Margate”.