In Memoriam, St Mary-in-the-Castle Crypt, August 6-14 (except Mon), free

PETTICOATS and noise give artistic flair to a burial space in an exhibition opening on Saturday, August 6.

Hastings artists Cathryn Kemp and Nick Weekes unveil their latest work - a collaboration of textiles and sound - at St Mary-in-the-Castle crypt in a private view running from 6pm to 8pm.

The pair have engaged with the history and sadness inherent in the gloomy yet grand location.

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“The crypt is an extraordinary place,” said Cathryn, “We have both felt a strange sense of silence and yearning in the place and we wanted to make art which reflects the core reason for the crypt’s existence while bringing in the contemporary world of sound collage.”

The crypt contains the remains of a distant relative of Jane Austen. To honour the faint link, Cathryn has recorded her voice reading excerpts from Austen’s novels which Nick has overlaid in his sound projection, completing the ghostly ambience of the piece.

Discussing the excerpts, Cathryn added: “Dress and social expectation and acceptance were intricately linked in the 19th century.

“Many of the young women died without the social standing or financial security of marriage – and it is to those women that this collaboration is dedicated.”

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