Late Checkout at Coastal Currents Festival

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Hastings, St Leonards and Bexhill have been brimming with live art and open studios for the past three weekends as part of Coastal Currents Festival. This year was Coastal Currents’ 14th year, with a programme devised by Creative Coast and Home Live Art,  arts production companies based in Hastings and London. After a fortnight of well-received interactive live art and open studios, the festival was rounded off with a ‘Late Checkout’ closing party at the White Rock Hotel on Sunday, featuring artists Seth Kriebel, Boogaloo Stu, Richard DeDomenici and Search Party.

Swivelympics

Boisterous live performance artists entertained members of the public throughout the evening, luring them, sometimes unsuspectingly, into interactive shows, ping pong matches and swivel chair spinning competitions. Search Party performed conversations with their semaphore flags on the seafront of Hastings and Bexhill earlier in the weekend. At the Closing Party they still had enough energy to play and win table tennis against members of the public whilst providing some hilarious commentary. Seth Kriebel’s Unbuilt Room virtual reality game amazed audience members, and sport and silliness were paired together in Richard DeDomenici’s Swivelymics, where people competed for the most swivels in an office chair.

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Boogaloo Stu’s Crimpolene Millionaire interactive ‘70s themed board game celebrated all the razzmatazz, catchphrases and phenomena of the decade. Dressed in an orange patterned crimpolene suit, our host Derek and his cross-dressing assistant Bev, invited us to roll the dice and join in a journey through the subculture of the ‘70s. From informing us of important literary works (The Joy of Sex) and alcoholic beverages, to allowing us to experience the boredom of the mid-seventies by pausing the game while we sat in silence, the game was always hilarious.

This review is also published in Lewes Arts

Photos by Alex Brattell