Margate / Ramsgate

The above pansy was planted on Victoria Parade, Ramsgate in memory of Charles Hasledon who was murdered on 31^st of October 2001.

As described below the development of The Pansy Project has been my main focus over the last two years. The terrible reality that my research has revealed is that everywhere I go, gay related murder has occurred from New York to Margate and from Ramsgate and to London where I will be going next week. Though I have marked these locations in the same way to how I have marked verbal homophobic abuse I am sensitive to the problematic nature of this ‘like for like’ method. I have considered altering the colour of the pansy or acting in some other way to differentiate a murder from the relatively minor verbal abuse. However I have resolved that this would prevent the project from being as simple and as affecting as many people have told me the project is including a friend of Edgar Garzon a gay man murdered in New York. However despite this I always take the planting of the pansy very seriously and the memorialisation of a death is a more profound experience for me and I hope the viewer of the image that accompanies the post. I believe that the Pansy Project though an artwork simultaneously highlights and as a result helps prevent homophobia.

Please feel free to comment on this post as I would welcome any feedback on this particular element of the project.