A Town Explores a Book 2023

About

A Town Explores A Book is a unique annual arts festival of creative responses to a heritage book produced by ExploreTheArch theatre company and its community and partner arts organisations in St Leonards-on-Sea. It takes place during the school spring holiday period 1-18 April.
 

The book choice for A Town Explores A Book 2023 is Wonderful Adventures of Mrs Seacole in Many Lands, a travel writing book by nineteenth-century adventurer Mary Seacole, a woman of the world.
 

Mary forged a career as medical practitioner that embraced the roles of nurse, doctor and carer. She earned her living right through her life in the hospitality trade and by trading in a wide variety of consumables.  She is best known for travelling to The Crimea in the 1850s and establishing a store supplying food, home comforts and medicines to soldiers during The Crimean War, known as ‘The British Hotel’.

Wonderful Adventures of Mrs Seacole in Many Lands is Mary’s personal narrative focusing on her lifetime travels. “Unless I am allowed to tell the story of my life in my own way, I cannot tell it at all.” This festival marks the 200th anniversary of her first solo journey to London aged 18, bringing preserves to sell. It was a remarkable and overlooked achievement which is an inspiration to young people today.

Festival projects will also mark the 75th anniversary of the NHS and the docking of HMT Empire Windrush at Tilbury Docks in 1948 exploring how heritage text Wonderful Adventures of Mrs Seacole in Many Lands is relevant to readers today.

Browse the full programme online, including live events, exhibitions, and activities. Most are free!

 

FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS

1 April, 7.30pm at Christ Church, London Road, St Leonards: “Confidence in my own powers.” – Festival Opening Celebration - FREE
An introduction to the festival featuring live music from Dave Rohoman (onetime drummer with Ian Drury), jazz bassist Leslee Booth, and harp duo Catherine and Elizabeth Rajhans.

1-14 April, multiple sites, St Leonards: Outdoor Art Trail
Explore the art trail to explore the book! The outdoor art in the open spaces of St Leonards on Sea invites you outside for multiple visits to consider what this heritage book means to you. Artists include Yasmin Aishah, Esme Fisher, Robin Knowles, Kitty McCarron, Susan Miller, Frank Moon, Margarita Novikova, Peter Quinnell, Maya Ramnarine.

1-14 April, multiple sites, St Leonards: Shop Window Trail
This is a reader-led festival and the perspectives of the town’s traders are particularly valuable this year as Mary Seacole traded through her life as a woman on independent means after her husband died. Enjoy artistic responses to the book by St Leonards’ independent creative businesses.

2 April, 11am-4pm, northern end of London Road, and Bohemia Road, St Leonards: Bohemia Creative Quarter Sunday
Multiple creative responses to Mary Seacole’s book await at the independent businesses of Bohemia Creative Quarter. Pick up a hand-made stamp book at your first Bohemia Creative Quarter stop and visit the other venues to collect original stamp designs of the fruits connected with Mary’s life by artist Bronwen Firth.

3-7 April, 12-4pm Unmasked and Stripped Bare sound installations in Hatton’s Yard, Hatherley Road by Ruby Colley and Yasmin Aishah - FREE
Unmasked - A sound installation by Ruby Colley featuring Windrush community members who share their experiences of times when they feel able to be their authentic selves.

Stripped Bare - Yasmin Aishah and Ruby Colley began a project for the festival entitled Unmasked. During the process, Yasmin Aishah suffered a devastating house fire in which her artwork for the project was destroyed. Yasmin’s testimony gathered before the fire is contrasted with her experience afterwards as she processes this traumatic event.

 

8 April, 11am-3pm, Kings Road, St Leonards: Kings Road Street Party
Fun for all the family with live music, poetry corner, games and family workshops, as well as a chance to check out the festival window displays of many of the independent businesses on Kings Road.

11-14 April, 7.30pm, Archer Lodge, Charles Road (opposite Markwick Gardens), St Leonards: “Sharp edge of our grief” film, live music + conversation (food included) - FREE
Two artist teams take Mary Seacole’s book on a creative journey. Filmmaker Rod Morris worked with Etienne Cutmore-Kourouma and Jac Holt to explore Mary Seacole’s journey from Jamaica to England through the lens of the experience of four members of the Windrush community, while musicians Sam Brown, Hannah Collisson, Catherine Rajhans and Elizabeth Rajhans develop music inspired by the many vivid journeys Mary embarked on around the globe. 

The film screening and live music performance will accompany an open conversation about the artists’ exploration of the book, including the complexity of Mary Seacole’s relationship with her own heritage.

15 and 16 April, Four Courts Wellbeing Hub, Sydney Close, St Leonards TN38 9DD: Four Courts Festival Weekend

Join us as we come together to celebrate A Town Explores A Book 2023 on the final weekend of the festival! Many of our artists will bring their exhibitions from other parts of town to the Four Courts. Free refreshments on both days.

On Saturday 15 April 3-6pm, live music from Sam Brown, Leslee Booth, Catherine and Elizabeth Rajhans & Dave Rohoman, and the launch of Southern Housing's Book Swap Booth. 

On Sunday 16 April 3-5pm, the Four Courts Fair, with activities, baking competitions, and launch of the Compost Community hub.

17 and 18 April: the outdoor art is installed at its permanent school sites