Coastal Currents prepares for its biggest event to date.

Across Hastings and St Leonards, Friday, August 28, to Sunday, September 13

NOT many arts festivals can boast of doubling their visitor numbers in just a year.

But that was the spectacular achievement of Hastings festival Coastal Currents – from more than 14,000 in 2013 to in excess of 32,000 last year. What makes it even more impressive is their budget has remained static for the last nine years.

For 2015 director Tina Morris is welcoming two international artists, as well as the South Coast premiere of Amy Sharrocks’ touring exhibition Museum Of Water and a new pop-up cinema in the Priory Meadows Shopping Centre.

The event kicks off tonight in the half-mile subterranean promenade on Hastings seafront Bottle Alley.

“Last year our opening party was at St Mary In The Castle, and we had people queuing to get in,” says Morris.

“At 550 people it’s the largest capacity venue in Hastings, so we thought we needed to go bigger and better.”

A group of 17 local artists are set to transform the 1930s space, which is due for renovation later this year. There will also be an after-party in the seafront Observer building, which is reopening specially, with DJs Beatnik and visuals from the Innerstrings Psychedelic Lightshow.

A new permanent installation by Spanish street artist Isaac Cordal will appear on Hastings seafront from today. Part of his ongoing Cement Eclipses series, the tiny cement models examine group behaviour and highlight the absurdity of existence.

“There is a legacy in these pieces which will be hidden away in seafront locations,” says Morris.

“We are trying to make pieces which are accessible to the general public, and getting those less engaged with the arts involved.”

Another exciting and accessible debut for Coastal Currents’ opening weekend is Amy Sharrocks’ Museum Of Water, at Black Winkle Studio, opposite the Fishermen’s Museum, in Rock-A-Nore Road, Hastings, from tomorrow (Aug 29) to Bank Holiday Monday.

The collection, which has previously appeared in the vaults at London’s Somerset House, is made up of bottles of publicly donated water, and the stories which accompany them.

“It’s a condensed display,” says Morris. “She has such a large collection it takes a storage warehouse to house them all. For each display now she picks crates at random. She is planning to stop taking donations at the end of the year, so it is lucky that Hastings will get to contribute.”

Alongside the museum is a free pop-up bar serving only tap water. At 3pm on Monday Sharrocks will be leading a mass fall into the sea at Hastings outside Stade Hall.

More visiting artists include Clod Ensemble’s Red Ladies – a group of identically dressed women in red shawls and stilettos who will invade the town on urgent missions on Saturday, September 5.

And on Thursday, September 10, Coastal Currents artist-in-residence Tod Hanson will unveil a new temporary installation covering the floor at Hastings Museum’s Durbar Hall, in Johns Place, Bohemia Road.

“Last year we had Kate MccGwire’s fragile feathers which have since gone to two Parisian art galleries,” says Morris.

“This year people will be able to interact with Tod’s work – it will be a 360 degree experience.”

Taking inspiration from the Indian motifs of the wood-carved Durbar Hall, which was transported to Hastings Museum And Art Gallery from Lord Brassey’s Park Lane home in 1931, Hanson’s installation is a contemporary new floor, mixing geometric patterns and street art with references to items in the museum.

“As soon as the artist saw the room there was no stopping him,” says Morris.

The curated programme also includes performances on the Stade Open Space by choreographer Yumino Seki tomorrow from 8.30pm, and Hunt And Darton’s exploration of boredom on Saturday, September 5, from 7.30pm.

And closing this year’s event on Saturday, September 12, is a pop-up cinema at Priory Meadows Shopping Centre, featuring the world premiere of Hastings film-makers Nichola Bruce and Sam Sharples’ film Alcina Pale Shadows.

The reimagining of Handel’s opera Alcina will feature a live performance by stars Barefoot Opera and a director’s Q and A after the hour-long film. It is part of the concurrent film programme co-curated by Hastings filmmaker Mark French, which includes two screenings at the Baker Mamonova Gallery in St Leonards.

Running throughout Coastal Currents is a programme of submitted events, including the Artists Open House weekends.

“The quality of the submissions is rising year on year,” says Morris. “Although Coastal Currents is a curated programme we wanted to open it out to everyone.”

Look out for exclusive performances of The Tempest by Crow Tree Theatre at Marwick Gardens this weekend from 7pm, tickets £12/£9, plus new book festival Belles Lettres on Friday, September 11, and Saturday, September 12, as part of the submitted programme.

Curated events are free. For more information visit coastalcurrents.org.uk/