Now in its 13th year, Coastal Currents – Hastings and St Leonards’ visual arts festival – has a much tighter focus, covering three weekends rather than the usual five.

But that doesn’t mean the quality of art and events has suffered, as programmers Creative Coast bring cutting-edge installations and performance pieces to go alongside the traditional 35 open studios, which will be welcoming visitors over two weekends from Saturday, September 15.

“We want to provide a platform not only for performers and artists but which also profiles the coastline as a very creative place,” says Sarah Yates, director of Creative Coast.

“We are trying to drive visitors to the South Coast. Traditionally people don’t stay for more than one day, but we now have places such as the De La Warr Pavilion in Bexhill, the Towner in Eastbourne and the Jerwood Gallery in Hastings, which are all within 20 minutes’ driving distance of each other. It means people can come for the whole weekend.”

Coastal Currents’ growing focus on visual art over the past four years coincided with the building and opening of the Jerwood Gallery, in Rock-A-Nore Road, Hastings, which houses the Jerwood Collection of contemporary British art. There is a still a performance aspect to the festival, though, as underlined by the opening entertainment on the Stade Open Space tomorrow.

Performing from 7.30pm will be string trio Kosmos, who combine jazz, gypsy fiddling and melodies from Greece, Turkey and the Middle East. Following Kosmos is the Argus Angel-winning show Anima, from the Brighton-based Karavan Ensemble, which starts at 9pm.

“We hope it’s quite an accessible piece for the community,” says Yates, adding that the piece will be adapted for the festival in collaboration with Hastings-based dancer Yumino Seki. “It will be exploring the landscape and using light and shadow in quite an amazing way.”

Another free highlight of the opening weekend is Exico Vol 2 by Polish artist Marcin Dudek, who will be transforming the interior of Stade Hall in Old Town, Hastings from tomorrow until Wednesday, September 12, taking inspiration from the underground tunnels between the Mexican and American border, and across Gaza.

Throughout the opening week there will be exhibitions and workshops in the town, including screenings of short films by the likes of Tracey Emin, David Blandy and Katy Dove at the Electric Palace Cinema in High Street, Hastings, on Sunday, and site-specific installation and community picnic, Flow, in Grosvenor Gardens, West St Leonards, tomorrow from noon.

The next big highlight comes on Saturday, September 15, when artists Marina Tsartsara, Sharon Harward and Miranda Sharp transform St Mary In The Castle in Pelham Arcade, Hastings, into a new space entitled Seaside Hotel.

“St Mary In The Castle is an undiscovered building in Hastings,” says Yates. “It doesn’t look like very much from the outside, but inside it’s a real gem. The three artists are working with the space in very different ways.”

There are also a pair of works which require direct interaction from visitors.

Kate Murdoch’s 10 x 10 will be in Stade Hall from Wednesday, September 19, to Saturday, September 22. The piece is made up of 100 display spaces measuring 14.5cm by 14.5cm, containing individual objects. Visitors are encouraged to take an object home and leave something else in its place. And getting its grand unveiling as part of the festival is a permanent piece, which will be on display near Warrior Square Gardens in St Leonards as a public art commission.

My Heart Belongs To Hastings has been developed alongside Brighton-based Strange Cargo. It combines reclaimed groyne timbers from Pevensey Bay with padlocks decorated by Hastings residents and visitors, which will be fixed to stainless-steel mooring shackles. The sculpture is designed to grow in size and shape as people add their own contributions to the artwork. Stade Hall will be hosting a four-day exhibition documenting its creation from Thursday, September 20.

“We commissioned Strange Cargo to produce a permanent piece which would bring a legacy to the festival for the first time,” says Yates. “It shows everyone can be a part of something like this. You don’t need to be able to draw to be part of an art project – it’s open to everyone.”

  • Coastal Currents takes place at various locations across Hastings and St Leonards, until Sunday, September 23 . For full details about the festival visit www.coastalcurrents.org.uk