A Peek at Towner's Incredible Exhibition - John Napier: Stages, Beyond the Fourth Wall

Back in December we took a trip to Towner Art Gallery to check out the new John Napier exhibition, Stages, Beyond the Fourth Wall, which we'd heard so much about. Napier is a multi-award winning set and costume designer who's intricate style and skill is responsible for many of theatre's most iconic and memorable designs, from the horses in Equus, to the outsized junkyard in Cats, to the ever-recognisable set and costumes for Starlight Express.

The exhibition layout planned by Napier himself, is set out in a winding maze-style, taking you on a journey of his career highlights on which you will spot delicately drawn costume designs, detailed replicas of stage sets and many more surprises along the way. As fans of theatre, culture and design, it's needless to say that we were not at all disappointed by the exhibition and will gladly sing its praises from the rooftops, in true musical style! With the exhibition open until 31 January, a visit to Towner Art Gallery this month is essential. In the meantime, here's a gallery of some of the amazing pieces on display to whet your appetite.

 

John Napier: Stages, Beyond the Fourth Wall is open at Towner Art Gallery from now until 31 January. Entry is £5; £3.50 for concessions and groups of over 10 people or free to under 18's and Towner members. Towner Art Gallery is open from 10am-5pm Tuesday-Sunday.

Sussex Day Celebrations in Eastbourne

This 16 June (Tuesday) the whole county will mark Sussex Day to celebrate what a beautiful place Sussex is! With stunning landscapes, a wealth of fascinating history and culture in all corners of the town, Eastbourne offers so much to the county of Sussex, for visitors, international tourists and residents - we certainly have a lot to celebrate.

To mark the special day, Eastbourne’s cultural and heritage hubs, the Redoubt Fortressand the Pavilion, will welcome visitors for a day of free festivities and fun! 

The Napoleonic Redoubt Fortress has free entry all day on Sussex Day and you'll be able to handle objects from displays around the military museum, guided by the helpful museum volunteers. 

A fascinating Carry on Curator talk takes place at 2pm which is also free of charge for this special occasion. “Carry on Curator: Pour la canaille: Faut la mitraille” coincides with the run up to the 200 year anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo. Come along and meet with museum curator, Damian Etherington for a thrilling interactive discussion about museum artefacts from the Napoleonic era. You'll also have the chance to handle Napoleonic era items and get a new perspective on them. From a Napoleonic General’s jacket and original Times newspapers reporting the Battle of Trafalgar and Waterloo, to a collection of original weapons and more, this is fantastic event not to be missed.

What's more, there will also be two free guided tours (11am and 2.30pm), of the Fortress grounds and the museum. The Napoleonic Fortress was built in the early 1800’s, and it has 24 rooms known as Casemates, at one time it was used to house up to 200 men during times of battle. You can learn lots more interesting facts like this on the guided tours on Sussex Day.

Once you've worked up an appetite from wondering around the fortress grounds making lots of discoveries, then head to the Outpost Cafe where you'll find a special Sussex Day offer of buy one get one free on all hot drinks. You can also tuck into a Sergeants Scone, a Bombardier's Brownie or a Trench Toastie, whilst enjoying the wonderfully vintage themed decor of the Outpost.

For a double whammy of intriguing Eastbourne history and heritage, head to the Pavilion just minutes from the Redoubt and be taken on a guided tour of the extremely interesting Summerdown Camp exhibition. 

During both the tours (11am and 2pm), visitors will learn some of the stories that have been discovered since the exhibition opened in March, as well as hearing more of the personal stories of men and women who recovered and worked at Summerdown convalescent camp in Eastbourne during World War One. 

Sussex Day will be a fantastic day of celebrations for both Eastbourne and the entire county, so please do join us in marking the occasion!

Redoubt Fortress Opens New Exhibition: Edmund Blunden – A Harmless Young Shepherd in a Soldiers Coat

The Redoubt opened a new exhibition on 14 June celebrating the life and work of Edmund Blunden 1896-1974. Blunden was a poet, teacher, writer of prose and soldier in the Royal Sussex Regiment during the First World War. 

Though not the best known of the war poets, Blunden actually served on the Frontline longer than any others from this group and recorded his life during this time in many stunning pieces of work.

Throughout his working career Blunden was haunted by his experiences during the war, with his final ‘War Poems’ being written towards the end of his career in the 1960’s. 

In 1971, just before his death Blunden said “My experiences in the First World War have haunted me all my life and for many days I have, it seemed, lived in that world rather than in this.”

From his life in the trenches he also produced one of the best known pieces of war prose, in the book ‘Undertones of War’ that has remained in print ever since being published in 1928.

This exhibition also explores Edmund Blunden’s interests, for example his love of the British Countryside, pastoral values and above all cricket. These things influenced his writing and are illustrated in the exhibition.

However insular these influences sound, Blunden was anything but in his outlook on life, spending many years in Japan and the Far East as well as in the more conventionally traditional yet scholarly colleges of Oxford.

Blunden wrote many books including works on other poets including Keats and Wilfred Owen but is probably most fondly remembered for his reflections on his most beloved sport in ‘Cricket Country’.

The exhibition will tell his story primarily in his own words and in those of the people that knew him best using sound and moving images as well as his texts that need little enhancing. 

The exhibition runs from 14 June – 16 November 2014 and normal entry fees apply. For more information please go to www.eastbournemuseums.co.uk

Fight The Post Christmas Blues in Eastbourne

Happy New Year from all at visiteastbourne! Don’t worry, there’s plenty to do over the next couple of months to fight those post Christmas blues.

If you’re still feeling festive, there is still time to catch the Panto; Aladdin at the Devonshire Park Theatre until 12 January! Tickets start from £12 with two performances a day!

If you are looking for something a little more tranquil, why not join the Eastbourne Astronomical Society at the Redoubt Fortress for some stargazing! The free event takes place Saturday 11 January, 8 March and 5 April. It provides an opportunity for beginners to become familiar with the night sky, learn the constellation patterns, locate hard to find star clusters, nebulae and galaxies and to explore the surface of the Moon and planets under the guidance of experiences observers – as well as for informal discussion and the exchange of ideas.

For those who want to indulge in some culture, award winning art museum Towner opens its new exhibition on 25 January, running until 6 April. The exhibition; John Skoog: Redoubt is free and incorporates works with film and video. Until then, visit Towner to see the Wonderland exhibition.

For history buffs, the Eastbourne Ancestors exhibition comes to the Pavilion on 1 February. This groundbreaking project has scientifically studied the human bones from the collection, made some amazing discoveries about your ancestors and is now ready to tell you their stories.

To bring history to life, experts have even recreated some of these people so that you can gaze into the faces of the past.

The free exhibition will put the flesh on the bones of people from Eastbourne’s distant past and will give back a little life story to those long passed.

What about a night of laughter with the Screaming Blue Murder comedy club on 7 February at the Winter Garden. Enjoy some fantastic entertainment from Rob Heeney who has been dubbed as a ‘deluded genius’ by Johnny Vegas, Jessica Fostekew who performed on Stephen K Amos’ Radio 4 show, BBC Breakfast and supported Micky Flanagan, and Elis James a bilingual stand up performer! Food and drinks are available to make an enjoyable night out.

The days will soon be getting longer and Eastbourne has another exciting year ahead. Plan your visit with these dates for your diary:

• Eastbourne Half Marathon - 2 March
• Magnificent Motors – 3 & 4 May
• Beer and Cider by the Sea – 23 – 25 May
• Eastbourne Carnival – 31 May
• Eastbourne Cycling Festival 1 June
• AEGON International Tennis – 14-21 June
• 999 Emergency Services Display – 5 & 6 July
• Eastbourne Extreme – 12 & 13 July
• Eastbourne Lammas Festival – 26 & 27 July
• Airbourne International Airshow 14 – 17 August
• Eastbourne Beer Festival – 9 – 11 October
• Beachy Head Marathon – 25 October

Find out more about all up coming events and things to do in Eastbourne on www.visiteastbourne.com