New Eastbourne mural is stealing the limelight

“Spreading from Rye to Eastbourne, this yearly festival has spread its wings to not only now feature heavily in Eastbourne but also with commissions and interventions to run throughout the year.”

The recent commitment to supporting artists and musicians during Covid-19 has led to more digital projects and socially isolated installations in the public realm than ever before.

“The Eastbourne mural is the highlight piece for 2020, created with community in mind. Spelling out the word Eastbourne in ten 2mx2m letters, seven artists from a variety of artistic backgrounds showcased their individual style. Bringing the whole piece together is a beautiful background mural featuring the coastline of the South Downs’ chalk cliffs.”

Director Tina added: “Where there are hoardings I see opportunities and at the moment, more than ever before, artists need opportunities.

“But this mural isn’t just bringing colour and public art to Eastbourne town centre. This is also all about local artists creating a sense of community and strengthening identity.

“Public artworks bring healthier environments for everyone and a greater sense of civic pride.

“They lessen disorder, give young artists the chance to be inspired and allow for a better sense of diversity and inclusion.

“We would love to bring art to the public in fun, interesting and engaging ways and hope that Eastbourne, which had a hotbed of exciting creative talent, continues to welcome Coastal Currents in, to do large scale projects such as these.”

The artists from left to right spelling out Eastbourne are:

E - REQ

A - Sinna One

S - ESIK

T - Etienne Le Comte

B - Helen Hiett

O - Drew Copus

U - Lottie Norton

R - ESIK

N - Helen Hiett

E - Etienne Le Comte

Eastbourne Borough Council is a new sponsor of Coastal Currents for 2020 and supported the cost of the installation.

A council spokesman said: “We are excited to be part of one of the region’s premier arts festivals and are delighted that this work is outside, on a main shopping street, for the public to enjoy. Seen together with a parallel arts project at the former Debenhams store we also supported, we have invested in a better, brighter, more beautiful town centre. In these difficult times, that’s got to be good news.”