EA Festival: Hedingham Castle to Host Inaugural Essex Arts Festival

in the serene grounds of Hedingham Castle in Halsted, famed for the best-preserved Norman keep in the UK cocooned in acres of lawns, lakes and woodland, a new sculpture exhibition will greet visitors to the inaugural EA Festival, on 31 July. A roll call of big names from the worlds of fashion, music, comedy, the arts and environment across panels, talks and performances.

The exhibition, which will remain all summer, features sculptures by figurative sculptor Billie Bond, who grew up in Essex and, who’s giant kintsugi-style (shattered) female head featured in the book accompanying Beyonce's Lemonade album. Suffolk-based Laurence Edwards' figures blending the male form with local nature. Expect more from Jim Racine’s 12-foot abstract bronze and an immersive cube made of suspended gold blankets by Sian O’Keeffe will join pieces by other important British sculptors. 

Lexicographer Susie Dent will share her thoughts about how future generations will use the English language and supermodel and environmental activist, Arizona Muse will discuss the fashion industry’s impact on the climate. Former Director of the National Gallery, Charles Saumarez Smith will explore how museums need to cater for a new art-going culture and Grammy Award-winning percussionist Evelyn Glennie considers the power of truly listening to others. Poetry and spoken word performances from Safiya Kamaria Kinshasa, William Sieghart and Luke Wright. Comedy producing legend John Lloyd (Spitting Image, Black Adder and QI), Director Mike Figgis (Leaving Las Vegas), and Sally Shaw, director of Firstsite, Colchester’s ground-breaking gallery will also feature. There’ll also be music from artists including tabla-playing, Asian-Underground founding composer Talvin Singh, alt-soul singer TAWIAH, percussionist Evelyn Glennie and multi-media artist Rosey Chan.

A market selling local artisan goods will include handmade jewellery, homeware pieces hewn from handpicked shells, spirits from the creators of the first English rum and real ales with food from Fork Kitchen and Deli. 

Event tickets from £10; day passes from £95 including parking, EAfestival.com