Fishing with Darren Couglan. Photo by John Cole, who will be talking about his work with Hastings fishermen on 17 September.

ROOT 1066: events 17-24 September

With the ROOT 1066 International Festival now in full swing, here’s your guide to what’s happening in the week from Saturday 17 to Saturday 24 September, courtesy of the council.

Statue of Edith and Harold in Grosvenor Gardens.

Edith – a pilgrimage and film
Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 September

See King Harold reunited with his common-law wife Edith, whose weathered statue mourns him still in Grosvenor Gardens, West St Leonards. Film-maker Andrew Kötting and author Iain Sinclair walked a 100-mile pilgrimage from Waltham Abbey to St Leonards, via Battle Abbey where Harold fell, symbolically reconnecting the lovers after 950 years of separation.

You can see the film, with a special live performance, on Saturday 17 September, 8pm at Kino Teatr, £10. Or visit Grosvenor Gardens on Sunday 18 September to see your own personal five-minute version, as the flat-pack castle becomes a two-seater cinema for the day. 11am to 4pm, free.

Artist talks – John Cole and Hew Lock
Saturday 17 September
There are two artist talks this weekend. John Cole, the photographer behind the portraits currently hanging among the net huts on the Stade, will be in conversation with folks from the Fishermen’s Protection Society on Saturday 17 September at 2pm in Stade Hall. Entrance is free but space is limited.
Meanwhile Hew Lock will be discussing his 2011 work, For Those in Peril on the Sea, which inspired the exhibition on display at Electro Studios Project Space on 1 and 2 October. The talk will take place on Saturday 17 September at 2pm at Hastings Museum & Art Gallery. Tickets cost £5.

Feast of the Dead chefs Blanch and Shock.

Feast of the Dead – a medieval banquet
Wednesday 21 to Sunday 25 September
If that’s tickled your appetite, how about a medieval feast to see you through the week? Every evening from Wednesday 21st to Sunday 25th, Stade Hall will be playing host to Feast of the Dead. Part banquet, part theatre, participants will be served an authentic 11th century three-course meal, while interacting with the ghosts of the battlefield. Tickets cost £25/£18, or £15 for the Wednesday preview, and vegetarian and vegan options are available. Book here.

Clash! – a choral spectacle
Saturday 24 September
Don’t miss Clash!, a unique musical event involving seven local choirs, who will converge in the cathedral-like atrium of Sussex Coast College. Poets and spoken-word artists have collaborated with composers from across the South East to create a musical ‘tapestry’ in response to the Bayeux Tapestry’s narration of the great battle of 1066. Performances take place at 4.30pm and 7.30pm. Tickets cost £7/£5 – buy them here.

Fiona Banner comes to a full stop.

Buoys Boys – new exhibition at the De La Warr Pavilion
Opens Saturday 24 September
Leading British artist Fiona Banner presents an immersive installation exploring her ongoing interest in language and its limitations. The exhibition, which takes place both inside and outside of the De La Warr Pavilion, incorporates a series of inflatable full stops from different fonts blown up to human scale. The exhibition is open from Saturday 24 September to Sunday 8 January 2017 and entry is free. The artist will talk about her work at 11am on Saturday 24th September – tickets are £7/£5/£3.50 from here.

DRIFT – guided walk with a difference.

DRIFT – how do you navigate a place?
Guided walk Saturday 24 September
This inclusive artwork reveals how young people with complex needs experience the world in different ways. From now until Sunday 16 October, you can find sound and video installations at three different locations around town – Warrior Square station ticket office, Bottle Alley and the East Hill Lift top station. Join participants for a free guided walk on Saturday 24 September – meet at Warrior Square station at 11am.

Find more information on these events and many others here. ROOT 1066 International Festival is funded by Hastings Borough Council, Arts Council England and the Coastal Communities Fund. For the latest news, follow @ROOT1066 on Twitter, or like facebook.com/ROOT1066.

Also in: Arts News