Organ Thing: The Art Car Boot Fair, Hastings, seagulls, sunshine and seaside treats…

ART CAR BOOT FAIR, HASTINGS LEG, July 16th 2016

Hastings then, off to the seaside for the second leg of this year’s always keenly anticipated Art Car Boot Fair adventure. The tradition now is to follow the main event down East London’s Brick Lane with an Art Car Boot Fair day trip, in past years the destination has been to take part in the Biennial at Liverpool, the sea front at Margate, the key Folkestone, the opening of Olympic Park in London, this year it we were off to the East Sussex coast and (hopefully) the sunshine of the Hastings seafront. Off on the first train out of Victoria, (encounter onrushing members of the MCC coming the other way, correct tie, stripes just right, must get that seat, straw hats and the third day of Lord’s test match). We’re off out of the city, off South East, off for a Sussex adventure, off to the seaside. Off on the train, escaping the city, rushing through green fields, galloping through the morning sunshine, the clouds are gone, warmth on our faces, we’re feeling hopeful, is summer finally here? Past the Longman of Wilmington, head past Easbourne and out along the coast, train full of people heading for the same destination as is, sea almost lashing as we head through St Leonards. Southern Rail running on time, off to the seaside and the sunshine with big (big) bags loaded full of art, off to meet the rest of the Cultivate team and the big cast of contributing artists. .

ART CAR BOOT FAIR, HASTINGS LEG, July 16th 2016

The Hastings leg of the Art Car Boot Fair is taking place on the seafront in a big car park right by Jerwood Gallery, in amoungst the fish and chip shops, the fun fair rides, the miniature railway, the beached fishing trawlers, the gloriously rusting tractors, splendid tall thin black wooden fishermen’s net workshops (unique to Hastings and apparently saved from the destructive onslaught of property developers that ended in a riot back in 1824. And of course in amoungst the the millions of bold seagulls (pretty clear who runs this town, you don’t mess with the gulls!).

ART CAR BOOT FAIR, HASTINGS LEG, July 16th 2016, Wildcat Will

We’ve documented the Art Car boot Fair and the pleasure of being a part of it before on these pages, Margate last year was a little bit more than an hot dog, Brick Lane this year was fun even if we did have to battle the wind and the rain. We really needed that sunshine yesterday, we really needed the summer to finally arrive, been a tough year so far. Hastings was glorious, the weather was glorious, the old fishing town welcomed us with open arms, the people lined-up to get in (and yes, rush for the big name grab first), heads got burnt, ice creams licked, smiles on faces. Bands played, The Band Of Holy Joy adding their own style to the dramatic Hastings backdrop, Martin Creed and his band adding their uniquely shambolic lo-fi whit in that positively charged artpunk way they do, Geraldine Swain, she curently of Faust with Yumi Hara and various kraut rock flavoured musicians . A day of art and colour and music and smiles and sunshine and sales, oh yes, it always nice to sell a piece or two, a lot of time and effort goes in to everyone’s art (and those train tickets aren’t cheap either).

ART CAR BOOT FAIR, HASTINGS LEG, July 16th 2016

New artists mixing with familiar faces, interaction mingling with pop art, prints with people, paint with performance. Wildcat Will all glittery and punk rock with hid Warhol soup in the boot next to us, Sir Peter Blake was a gent as usual, John Copper Clarke with a print featuring his Evidentally Chickentown lyrics, Emin International causing their usual fuss, was Tracey there? Not sure, as we said when we wrote about Brick Lane a few weeks ago, you don’t get to see everything when you’re an artist in your “boot” taking part. People come along and tell you what’s happening over there and have you seen this or that? You see someone passing with an exciting bit of art and wonder about who might have made it? Picking out names isn’t what the Art Car Boot Fair is about, connecting with new things, new art, fresh art and the pleasure of artists and public engaging with each other, the engagement is really where the pleasure of the Art Car Boot Fair lies. Art and smiles (and classic Vauxhall cars), we had a great time in Hastings, we had another great art adventure courtesy of the Art Car Boot Fair, what more do we need to say? Excellent day, seaside treats indeed, back home with bags not so big and heavy, back to the city of a train packed with very (very) loud London-bound danceheads high on even more excitement than we started our day with, excellent time, thank you Hastings, we had a wonderful time, we love being part of the Art Car Boot fair, art with an ice cream and a smile, thanks everyone, (SW) .