ROOT1066 the international contemporary arts festival that commemorated and explored one of English history’s most important dates, the Battle of Hastings, has been hailed a success by its organisers.
Marking the 950th anniversary of William the Conqueror’s invasion of England, the festival promised to bring innovative and fresh perspectives on the history and legacy of 1066 from artists working in both Britain and France.
With specially commissioned works, exhibitions and performances staged across East Sussex by internationally renowned artists, companies and community groups, it really was a festival for all. Highlights of the festival included The Story of Hastings in 66 Objects at Hastings Museum, Marcus Harvey’s ‘Inselaffe’ exhibition at Jerwood Gallery, iy_project – a spectacular light and sound event on Hastings Pier by Chris Levine, who recently collaborated with Philip Glass at Glastonbury, PUSH a community opera from Battle Festival in collaboration with Glyndebourne and the De La Warr Pavilion, Fiona Banner’s exhibition Buoys Boys at the De La Warr Pavilion and so much more.
The festival engaged an impressive collection of 130 partner organisations and community groups, who reached over 3,750 participants and an audience of 75,000 people.
Visitors to ROOT1066 events described them as ‘uplifting’, ‘exciting’ and ‘emotional’ and 52% stated that the festival was ‘fantastic and far exceeded their expectations’.
“The ROOT1066 International Festival gave us six fantastically creative weeks of exhibitions, performances and events from a wonderful array of artists” explained Polly Gifford, ROOT1066 Festival Director.
“We wanted to celebrate our connections with our Norman neighbours and the programme, which included 13 new commissions and premieres, and explored some big themes such as Who are we?, Where do we come from? and What is important to us?
She added: “The festival was a huge collaborative effort and we’d like to thank Hastings Borough Council, Arts Council England and the many other funders, sponsors, supporters and volunteers who helped make it happen. We hope many of the partnerships will continue leaving an ongoing legacy for the area.”