6th/7th/8th September: Dream/Time & Invented Futures
Made collaboratively in Hastings and thinking into the future, Hastings Commons & OBX are proud to present two new art works as part of Coastal Currents 2024.
Dream/Time, by artist Mark Lawson Bell, has been chosen through a programme by OBX (at Hastings Commons) called ‘Commoning the Programme 1’. Over 12 weekly sessions, eight young people from East Sussex College Hastings and DV8 Sussex have been learning about curation, programming and events from local artists and organisations including Afri-Co-Lab, Project Art Works and Trans Pride Hastings. Each week focused on themes such as creating connections, mapping interests and creating space for people to engage with art. The overall aim of the programme was to provide 16 – 18 year olds with the skills, knowledge and networks to have a career in a creative industry locally. Alongside the main programme, everyone had two mentoring sessions with a chosen creative (some local and some further away in the UK) including Matt Hardman (artist), Alex Reid (DoP) and Mauricio Gris (Thread Films).
Of the experience, one young person said, “[The sessions] put into perspective that we need to think about accessibility and inclusion more and create space for communities not getting as much of a voice/space.”
From this learning the cohort designed their own artist brief for local artists to respond to. They then shortlisted the artist submissions from which five artists were paid to spend a day developing their ideas and then to present this to the young people’s commissioning panel.
From this process, local artist Mark Lawson Bell was chosen. Mark Lawson Bell, who lives in Hastings, is presently creating a piece called Dream/Time about the future of Hastings, 2024 – 2124 and what it means to be alive in the past, future and present. In this piece, he has chosen lines from 50 children and 50 pensioners, pairing them together, with a single word common to the two sentences. Mark promises the responses will be “a mix of the heartfelt, whimsical, pure, poignant, joyous, uplifting, mad and beautiful.”
One of the commissioning team says, “we wanted to ensure the artwork was relevant to Hastings, so when Mark had the great idea to include the community, young and old generation, we knew he was the one”.
Commoning the Programme One will be available to view in the Priory Meadow Atrium (Queens Rd, Hastings TN34 1PH) on the 7th September between 9am – 5.30pm and 8th September between 10 – 4pm. There will also be a Dream/Time Artist Talk: Thursday 5th September at the Observer Building (53 Cambridge Road, TN34 1DT), between 18.30pm – 20.30pm RSVP needed but free to attend. Book here!
A second co-designed installation Invented Future will also be on display during Coastal Currents. This installation has been created in honour of 100 years of John Logie Baird, the inventor of television who lived for a time in Hastings and built the first working television set in a workshop in Queens Arcade. The team at OBX have spent the last few months working with over fifty local young people alongside local sound artist Isobel Anderson and animator Isabel Garrett to create stop frame animations and sound tracks.
A young person who took part says, “I am doing Level 3 games design at DV8 Brighton so I am really excited to come here.”
Projection mapping technology, which is a way to turn objects into a display surface, has been used to bring a collection of beautiful historic televisions, on loan from Hastings Museum, vibrantly back to life in an audio and visual celebration. Look out for an AI generated version of John Logie Baird himself!
Invented Future will be on display inside the OBX Creative Tech Hub, The Observer Building, 53 Cambridge Rd, Hastings, TN34 1DT. The opening night will be on Thursday 5th September between 6.30-8:30pm (this is as part of OBX’s month OBX Connects event, find out more and register for your free ticket here). Invented Future will also be open to the public for viewing on Friday 6th & Saturday 7th between 10:30am – 6pm (no need to book).
About OBX
OBX is the Creative Technology hub for Hastings Commons. We are based on the mezzanine floor in the Observer Building. We work with local communities and artists to run workshops, talks, exhibitions and arts projects. We explore opportunities presented by creative technology to build stronger communities, develop great art and talent and support employment potential. We aim to be led and inspired by communities local to our building. More information here.