This weekend saw Bournemouth’s open spaces come alive with the opening weekend of Bournemouth Arts by the Sea Festival, introducing three weeks of arts events in the town.
Joe Rush created the stage sets for The Rolling Stones at Glastonbury and art directed the London 2012 closing ceremony of the Paralympic Games, so it was no wonder the Mutoids took Bournemouth by storm.
But Joe Rush wasn’t the only act to cause a stir – other artists adding to the surreal atmosphere of the opening weekend included artist, composer and performer Ray Lee with his sound sculptures on giant metal tripods towering high above the crowds; Michael Grubb Studio, whose ‘lighthouse’ light sculptures created a unique world of light and colour and Jem Finer’s Spiegelei-on-Sea, which reflected and magically inverted the world using the beautifully simple technology of the mirror and the lens.
The whole opening experience came to a glorious finale with a very English interpretation of Venice’s one thousand year old Marriage of the Sea ceremony performed by over 100 local people.
Carol Maund, Festival Manager, says; “This weekend was a great start to what’s going to be a spectacular Festival. It was good to see so many people enjoying an end-of-summer party atmosphere.”
The third Bournemouth Arts by the Sea Festival continues with three weeks of original and exciting arts events, including music, dance, film, visual arts, theatre and spoken word.
Bournemouth Arts by the Sea Festival is funded by an Arts Council Grant for the Arts and Bournemouth Borough Council.
Headline sponsor is Arts University Bournemouth. The Festival runs from 20 September to the 12 October.
For the full programme and more information about locations and tickets visit www.artsbournemouth.org.uk.
