Events were presented Live during the month of September
Hastings Book Festival, in partnership with Explore the Arch and Bexhill Museum, has presented a short session of talks to accompany a remarkable video installation inspired by the pioneering life and work of Marie de France, the first known female writer of “adventure stories”
In this video installation, three artists explore the writing of Dame Marie within their own practice.
Marie in the Margins from roadfactoryfilms on Vimeo.
27.09 mins, all rights reserved by ExploreTheArch.
Cinematographer: Rod Morris
Composer and sound artist: Ruby Colley
Director and producer: Gail Borrow
Editor: Sarah Gomes Harris
Performers: Erica Smith Yasmin Aishah Hannah Collisson
with Lily Kim, Siddy Bennett, Philly Piggott and Tatenda Michael Manyarara
Expert Talks
RECORDED 18 Sept, 14:00 BST (8:00 am Central Time, USA)
Royal Childhood and Child Kingship
Marie in the Margins historian Dr Emily Joan Ward (The University of Edinburgh) discusses her new book, Royal Childhood and Child Kingship: Boy Kings in England, Scotland, France and Germany, c.1050–1262 (Cambridge University Press, 2022), which shows children’s importance within medieval society. She also talks about her approach to engaging modern children with the wider historical context of eleventh- and twelfth-century England as part of the Marie in the Margins schools’ workshops.
RECORDED 22 Sept, 14:00 BST (8:00 am Central Time USA)
Marie de France – the female cultural workforce with Gail Borrow
Marie in the Margins video installation director Gail Borrow discusses how she has approached this portrayal of a female cultural workforce. Exploring Marie de France’s collection of twelfth-century lai stories through the lens of modern cultural innovators, she considers portrayal of women writers and the symbolism they seek for their female characters.
As Gail explains: “Medieval women are predominantly positioned at the heart of the home, symbolised as mothers of newborn babies in madonna imagery. This project highlights medieval women working on the fertile margins who reflect the vibrant female workforce in Hastings’ cultural sector today.”
Marie in the Margins at Bexhill Museum
IMFS in Hastings Book Festival on Sun 18 September 2022
In person experience: viewing of installation video: 12.00-16.00 BST
