Richard Woods, artist: ‘I made six identical bungalows and installed them around Folkestone’ – The Guardian

Born in Chester in 1966, Richard Woods graduated from the Slade School of Art in 1990. He has become known for his architectural installations characterised by cartoon-like decorative surfaces, bold patterns and vibrant colours, which he has said are inspired by his parents garish 1970s home and were once described by the Guardian as beguilingly simple and wickedly clever. In the past, Woods has turned a New York gallery into a mock-Tudor building, and created a wall-to-ceiling installation of geometric patterns at Londons Alan Cristea gallery. For his latest project, Holiday Home part of this years Folkestone Triennial (2 Sept to 5 Nov) Woods has created six colourful bungalows, situated in unexpected locations around the town.

How did you get the idea for the project?I was in Folkestone 18 months ago and got given this strange leaflet saying, Have you thought about turning your property into cash? basically, give up your house so someone can buy it as a second home. The idea grew out of that: to make six identical bungalows and install some in very desirable locations, some not, but keeping it very open-ended. Theres been equal [numbers of] people coming up to me and discussing the second home issue, and immigration.

What kind of concerns did they have?Theres one house in the harbour, floating around somebody heard through gossip in the town that it was going to be floated to Calais and back again. Some people are genuinely interested in whether boat people will move into the houses. But then lots of people in the town completely get the project.

What can Folkestone tell us about wider trends across the country?Its a compressed version of the UK: all those issues that are prevalent everywhere are kind of heightened. On a clear day we can see Calais when you see where abroad is, it makes it more terrifying in a way. Folkestone has very broad, different economic groups and because of its proximity to London people are moving here wanting a second home. People have asked if the homes are going to be available for local residents or just people from London.

But the houses dont exactly look like you could live in them...Well no, they dont have any windows, theres no glass, theres no front door. My work is cartoon my desire was to make something that was a motif of a building, but with nothing else that would lead the viewer to think they could live in it.

You live and work in London what do you make of its housing situation?Ive got three kids growing up and its hard to see how they can stay in London, so thats a big discussion at our house. If we end up living in a place where the creative youth have to move out and basically its just old people and people who work in Canary Wharf, thats not going to be a fun place to live.

In 2014 you created your own studio/home as a work of art. How did that go?It was hard work but we did it: we built a wooden house and studio in Bethnal Green with this company called dRMM. Its just made of timber, with no painted surfaces, and its completely self-sufficient. Im passionate about bringing wood back into the city centre, as it were. But its a strange thing because, having done that, Im part of the problem, arent I? Building big glamorous buildings in Bethnal Green...

You were once described as the man who would probably decorate Dr Seusss dream homeWell Im a fan of bright colours, so yeah, Id probably take the job on!

The Folkestone Triennial runs from 2 September to 5 November

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Richard Woods, artist: 'I made six identical bungalows and installed them around Folkestone' - The Guardian