Treasure Hunters Rush to UK Beach Seeking Fortune in Gold

[Karloff]

Treasure Hunters Rush to UK Beach Seeking Fortune in Gold

German artist Michael Sailstorfer says it's finders keepers, as soon as the tide is out.

If you happen to be in the UK and are anywhere near Folkestone, run, don't walk, to the beach. You could make your fortune, as German artist Michael Sailstorfer has buried £10,000 in gold bullion for anyone to find. Once the sea is out at 4pm, it's time to get digging.

The installation is part of Folkestone's Triennial [http://www.folkestonetriennial.org.uk/about-the-folkestone-triennial/], a public art showcase that takes place every three years and which invites artists to use the town as their canvas. Sailstorfer's installation is called Folkestone Digs, a title which ought to be self-explanatory.

"I think we might well have a lot of people," says Triennial curator Lewis Biggs. "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."

[gallery=3086]

Each bar is stamped Made in London, and an individual bar - they come in different sizes - might be worth hundreds of pounds. Biggs hopes it will be considered as much a piece of art as a gold bar, and might tempt finders to keep it as a souvenir rather than take it straight to the pawnbroker. Metal detectors won't be as useful as you'd hope; the organizers are one step ahead, and buried worthless metal washers out there too.

Sailstorfer [http://www.johannkoenig.de/33/michael_sailstorfer/selected_works.html], a Berlin-based artist, has chosen not to be in Folkestone for the great dig. Just as well; someone might have tried to kidnap him to get him to tell where the good stuff is. It's expected that this event will stretch on beyond the Triennial, as it's likely at least some of the gold won't be found right away.

The images seen here are from the great dig has yet to begin [http://www.folkestonetriennial.org.uk/artists/2014/].

Source: Guardian [http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2014/aug/28/gold-sand-folkestone-beach-artist-michael-sailstorfer]


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[Josh123914]

I really hope no one gets hurt. Mad dashes for money rarely bring out the best in people...

Well if we're talking Black Friday in the US definitely, but how could someone get trampled on in this situation? It's not like there's a spot of sand where there's definitely gonna be treasure.

I imagine this will go on for days with holes in the ground, only for them to find out the treasure was taken the morning before the event was supposed to start.

 

[kailus13]

How do you get funding for £10,000 worth of gold bricks, that you're effectively giving away to random people? What kind of person would pay for such a thing?

I really hope no one gets hurt. Mad dashes for money rarely bring out the best in people...

Well if we're talking Black Friday in the US definitely, but how could someone get trampled on in this situation? It's not like there's a spot of sand where there's definitely gonna be treasure.

People could be trampled whenever a brick is found. The mad rush to that area could cause accidents.

I think it more likely that people could be assaulted for the hundreds of pounds worth gold brick in their possession.

 

[ToastiestZombie]

Well seeing as how large groups of people handle natural places if money or pride is on the line that beach is going to be a landfill in a few days after the event starts.

 

[Batou667]

It'd be fantastic if in a week's time the artist reveals that no gold was buried, and the whole thing was a showcase on the subject of human greed and gullibility.

 

[PunkRex]

It'd be fantastic if in a week's time the artist reveals that no gold was buried, and the whole thing was a showcase on the subject of human greed and gullibility.

I could defiantly see that.

Modern art, because F you.

 

[ryukage_sama]

10,000 BPS isn't really that much money. I wouldn't pass up on it, but I wouldn't throw myself out there competing with a bunch of other people. If the bullion is spread around, I'd stand to make as much money staying at work as I would finding a single bar.

 

[tangoprime]

Que criminals and unsavory sorts watching and tailing people as they leave with their findings, in order to relieve them of it at their destination. They need a pawnbroker or metals trader on site who can issue cheques.

 

[Kenjitsuka]

"Biggs hopes it will be considered as much a piece of art as a gold bar"...
I guess he can HOPE. How did he get funding? Or is he just some rich kid?

Should have donated the money to the poor instead.

 

[twaddle]

Some blokes are likely to make a lot of money selling cool beverages, fish and chips, and metal detectors

 

[Micalas]

It'd be fantastic if in a week's time the artist reveals that no gold was buried, and the whole thing was a showcase on the subject of human greed and gullibility.

The poor man would get shiv'd.

 

[CharrHearted]

I believe this is relevant:


Hope nobody ends up dying!

 

[Scarim Coral]

Dammit! Why couldn't this happened at my town beach? I mean I still kept hold of my toy metal detector!

 

[Redlin5_v1legacy]

It's a cool idea to create a story for the local community. I personally hope that not all of it gets found. I know as a kid a real buried treasure would have been very exciting!

 

[Svarr]

What a throwback to the old movie "It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad Mad Mad World!" n3n anyone remember that?

 

[Vault101]

Well if we're talking Black Friday in the US definitely, but how could someone get trampled on in this situation? It's not like there's a spot of sand where there's definitely gonna be treasure.
.

I'm thinking shovels

............in the face