Katy Baird is Artistic Director of Home Live Art, which produces Knotty, Hastings’ celebration performance which returns following the success of 2022’s outdoor festival.
For 2024, Knotty is bigger and bolder than ever, showcasing inspiring artists and events in familiar and unexpected spaces and places over the weekends of 6-9 and 14-16 June.
Now in its fourth year, Knotty is produced by Hastings’ creative arts organisation, Home Live Art. This year’s festival features work from 20 artists in eight events across four venues: Hastings Museum and Art Gallery, White Rock Theatre, Mini Playhouse and Stables Theatre, plus outdoor locations in Hastings Town Centre. Most of the programme is free or offers a sliding scale according to what ticket buyers can afford.
More information can be found here
Knotty Festival is coming to Hastings. What can you tell us about this event?
Knotty is all about showcasing groundbreaking artists in Hastings and embracing the town’s daring and forward-thinking spirit. This year’s Knotty features an adventurous programme of performance in venues and public spaces across Hastings.
Highlights include an interactive public sculpture created by artist Sonia Hughes delving into the themes of home and belonging in the town centre, OUT, Ray Young’s queer reclamation of dancehall culture at the Stables Theatre, and Sweet, a family-friendly drag and cabaret show, brimming with fun and fabulousness for anyone aged 5 and over.
And how would you describe your role in Knotty Festival?
As the Artistic Director of Home Live Art, an artist-led creative arts organisation which has been going 25 years, I work alongside my amazing team to curate and produce Knotty. A major part of this role is to support artists in presenting their work in new contexts to new audiences. When programming, I consider what local audiences are currently interested in and what new experiences might appeal to them.
We also collaborate closely with local partners. This year, we’ve partnered with Afri-Co-Lab to commission a new project titled “The Hero’s Journey,” directed by Anna Maria Nabirye & Darragh O’Leary. This immersive site-specific performance, set within and around Hastings Museum, is co-created with a large community cast and will be an epic tale full of twists and turns, experienced on the move while wearing headphones.
What can audiences expect from their visit to Knotty Festival?
Audiences can expect a wild ride of top-notch theatre, cabaret, dance, and installations presented in a welcoming atmosphere. At Knotty we like to have FUN, and many of our events are celebratory because joy is so important right now. This is reflected in our Queer Joy performance night, Salty, with a stellar lineup that includes award-wining dance duo Thick and Tight, vogue legend Bambi and infamous drag artist Yshee Black. We also are collaborating with Playing the Race Card, a local social justice organisation initiated by Claudine Eccleston. Together, we co-curated a performance programme within Knotty to complement their exhibition “Black Joy: Up Close and Personal,” a project that Home Live Art proudly co-produced at Hastings Museum & Art Gallery.
What’s the biggest challenge in putting a programme like this together?
The reason I love living in Hastings is that it’s full of creative spirit and energy, with loads of arts and music events happening all the time. This is why we love it, but it also makes it challenging sometimes to cut through the noise and engage new audiences. I programme not necessarily by artistic form or discipline, but by what the work is doing and saying and how it fits into our town. This cross-genre, mash-up approach is exciting but can be hard to package and sell.
After six years, Knotty now has a very loyal audience, so our focus this year is on encouraging new audiences to get involved. When that happens, the response is always amazing because the artists we work with are some of the best in the country at what they do. By bringing in new and innovative artists, we aim to keep the arts scene in Hastings dynamic, exciting and for everyone!
Accessibility is also a significant issue—Hastings has many charming but inaccessible buildings, so we always have to be mindful of that when considering which artists and works we can bring to town, as accessible venues are very limited.
And how do you feel about the lineup now that it’s all been announced?
I’m incredibly excited about the line-up for Knotty 2024. We have a fantastic mix of local and national artists, offering a wide array of performances that are joyful, bold, and unapologetic. Hastings deserves to see this incredible work; we shouldn’t have to travel to London or Brighton to experience world-class performances. It’s about time that our community has access to great artists right here at home. This year’s line-up is particularly special because it brings together audiences, venues, artists, and community groups in a magnificent and exciting platform.
What would you say to anyone thinking of coming to Knotty Festival?
Now is a vital moment where we need to connect with one another in new and meaningful ways, and the artists in this year’s program are truly leading the charge in this regard. Their work not only sparks important conversations but also reminds us that we live in a world full of endless possibilities. These performances challenge us to think differently and inspire us to believe that the future doesn’t just have to happen to us; it’s something we can actively shape. This could be our chance to shape it together – with all events either free or offered on a sliding scale, depending on income we really hope that you will join us for the ride.
Knotty Festival 2024 runs from 6-16 June over both weekends. For full programme please go to https://www.homeliveart.com/event/knotty-2024-full-programme
