Coastal Currents Arts Festival 2011

27 August- 30 September

Coastal Currents returns for a twelfth year, showcasing a wide-range of art exhibitions, performances and events throughout Hastings, St Leonards and Rother. This is an exciting time for arts and regeneration in Hastings with the building of the Jerwood Gallery underway, and the opening of the Stade Space and Hall.

Hastings’ cultural activity has attracted considerable attention over recent years, with works by Banksy and Ben Eine proving very popular with local residents and visitors.

In the build-up to this year’s festival, Promenade will feature the work of eight well-known artists with a local or coastal connection. These images will be displayed as posters along the promenade and as a series of collectable postcards around town. Artists include: Maggi Hambling, Jake & Dinos Chapman, Billy Childish, Ben Eine, Iain Sinclair & Andrew Kotting, and local printmakers Aardvark-on-Sea.

This year we are showcasing two new programmes of activities during September 2011, Spotlight and Interface;

Spotlight (27 August) is an ambitious evening of specially-commissioned, bold and experimental performances, installations and interactive activities.  There will be parades along the seafront & throughout Hastings on the opening weekend. It includes: The Lost Plot- an outdoor light & sculptural intervention by Radiator Arts in Wellington Square Gardens; Liquid Glass – participatory sonic experiments & projections in St Leonards Gardens; a ukulele orchestra; interactive LED badge-making workshops and Cabinet of Wonder- theatrical life-drawing from a roaming Romany wagon.

Spotlight: Open features 5 artists selected by an open submission competition, who will be creating interventions at various locations throughout the duration of the festival.

INTERFACE is an artist-led collaboration initiated as part of the events to mark the 20th anniversary of the twinning between Hastings and Oudenaarde. Hastings-based artists have been invited to work in Oudenaarde while practitioners from France, Belgium and the UK are hosting temporary installations and events in Hastings and St Leonards. 26 August- 2 October.

The INTERFACE programme is managed by Christine Gist

Coastal Currents and the Spotlight programme is organised by Creative Coast with support from Hastings Borough Council.