Exhibition spotlight's Hastings fishing community

An exhibition focusing on one of Europe's oldest fishing communities is set to open in an East Sussex seaside town.

Artist Mary Hooper is creating an oral history archive by means of an immersive sound installation, The Sun Feeds the Wind, which launches at Hastings Contemporary on Saturday for six months.

The project is part of a season of events that celebrate the "unique knowledge, skills and practices of the Hastings fishing fleet".

Kathleen Soriano, gallery interim director, said the exhibition "allows us to find new creative ways to celebrate and share the rich industrial and cultural heritage of our town".

The exhibition is part of a year-long project to create an online archive of oral histories, an illustrated map of the historic Stade area, and a programme of community events and engagement activities.

The scheme has received a grant of almost £250,000 from The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Paul Joy, chairperson of Hastings Fishermen's Protection Society, said: "Inshore fishing faces immediate and existential threats, but as fishermen we are eternally optimistic for a brighter future."

The Sun Feeds the Wind appears alongside Undersea which brings together paintings, prints, drawings and objects spanning four centuries and from around the world.

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