Felixstroll, a glorious weekend of interactive arts and culture,
is encouraging residents and visitors alike to explore Felixstowe’s
coastline on Saturday 4 and Sunday 5 July.
A diverse range of artist’s installations, music, activities,
workshops and tours will be delighting audiences from Landguard
Point to Felixstowe Ferry, along the route of the proposed Coastal
Path.
“Felixstroll will give local people an alternative perspective
on the coastline they know so well and introduce newcomers to the
rich heritage of this part of the district through the medium of
art,” said Cllr Mary Neale, Cabinet Member for Leisure and
Countryside.
“It will also offer them a great opportunity to get on their
bikes or take a walk, following the route of what we hope will
eventually become a permanent Coastal Path, opening up our stunning
coast to residents and visitors in anticipation of the Marine and
Coastal Access Bill currently going through Parliament,” added Cllr
Neale.
Waymarks designed by the artist Elizabeth-Jane Grose will guide
people along the shore to each installation, and Felixstroll
participants can also use a map, available from Felixstowe Tourist
Information Centre, to plan their day in advance.
Felixstroll will feature performance art doubling as a cycle
tour by Naomi Leake, an enchanting children’s trail called Gossip,
Grandeur, Black Dogs & Rock Gods led by the storyteller Saul
Jaffe, photographs that show the quirkier side of British life in
the internationally renowned Caravan Gallery, an interactive
installation of silk and paint by Marie-Paule Neu, an artist from
Wesel, the German town that is twinned with Felixstowe, a
collaboration of words and music entitled Surf and Turf involving
Deben High School students, the poet Dean Parkin and the London
Sinfonietta, and much more.
With Fine Art students from University Campus Suffolk using their
talents to create an open-air installation and Langer Primary
School students doing a litter pick to provide materials for an
installation by the artist Fran Crowe; Felixstroll is also
involving local young people in revealing Felixstowe’s creative
side.
Events inspired by Felixstowe’s heritage are another key part of
Felixstroll, which will include local photographer James Fletcher’s
tribute to C.J. Emeny, who took pictures of people in Felixstowe
during the late 19th and 20th centuries, and a tour of Martello
Tower P.
“With so much to see and do, and an abundance of local and
national artistic talent on display, I would urge local people and
visitors to join in the fun and enjoy this creative interpretation
of Felixstowe’s charms,” added Cllr Neale.
Felixstroll is being organised and funded by Suffolk Coastal,
with the support of Felixstowe Town Council. The full programme of
events will be available from Felixstowe Tourist Information
Centre, and it will also be in the Coastal Advertiser and delivered
door-to-door in Felixstowe. An electronic version will also shortly
be downloadable from
www.suffolkcoastal.gov.uk/yourfreetime/arts
For more information on Felixstroll, members of the public can
contact Carol Gant, arts and heritage development officer, on 01394
444294 or
carol.gant@suffolkcoastal.gov.uk