Over 20 more unique sound and art installations, musical performances, exhibitions and theatre have been announced for the 2021 arts and culture festival, Arts by the Sea in Bournemouth.

Held from Friday October 1 to Sunday October 3 across the town centre and seafront locations – with some programming extended beyond these dates – organisers say visitors of all ages can get lost in a world of creative experiences and accessible art across many forms.

The latest announcement includes:

• Intimate sound art experience, Cloudscapes by Gobbledegook Theatre
• Walkabout audacious singalong show The Lips by Puppets with Guts
• Illuminating dance piece Thrive by Grace Willows and Cirque Bijou
• Bandstand programme of Afro-Latin to party-starting DJ sets

Arts by the Sea Festival is free to attend.

More information can be found at: artsbythesea.co.uk.

This year’s artistic theme is ‘Connect’, fittingly chosen now friends, families and loved ones can unite.

As a strand running through the 2021 festival programme, the theme will explore the concept of the human being as a fundamentally social creature—a tribal animal—while highlighting the importance of celebration, festivity and connecting with others.

Intimate sound art experience Cloudscapes by Gobbledegook Theatre will welcome guests in the Lower Gardens to lie back on giant beanbags, look up and contemplate the tendency to change of clouds, as well as the changing nature of humanity.

Through a set of headphones, the piece is guided by the soothing voice of Dorset performer, Lorna Rees who is also Gobbledegook Co-founder and graduate of the Royal Central School Of Speech & Drama.

The Lips by Puppets with Guts comprises a chorus of divas taking the form of luminous giant lips.

They’ll roam across Bournemouth beach and the bandstand.

Guests can singalong as The Lips reanimate the nation’s favourite pop songs in a pop-puppetry lip sync performance.

Thrive is by choreographer Grace Willow (Joy In Dance) and internationally renowned circus production company, Cirque Bijou.

Presented by Pavilion Dance South West in the Lower Gardens, visitors can witness a dance performance with LED light-up umbrellas as it celebrates light in the darkness, both physically and metaphorically.

Physical theatre fans are also catered for at this year’s Arts by the Sea.

Commissioned by Without Walls and presented by Theatre Témoin in partnership with The B Collective and Horse and Bamboo; Routes promises audiences a visually compelling and socially relevant piece that amplifies the marginalised voices of humankind, set outdoors in the Gardens.

Bournemouth’s bandstand in the Gardens is always a focal point at Arts by the Sea.

On Saturday and Sunday from midday until 7pm, a diverse lineup of musical performances include King Lagoon’s Flying Swordfish Soundsystem – an Afro-Latin-inspired band – together with ‘Aroma Wizard, creating a palette of exotic, uplifting scents to complete the experience.

Empowered female collective FRAU DJs will spin everything from Blondie and The Cure to Drake and Destiny’s Child and Remix Reeling will encourage audiences to get up and dance, barn dance style, to a mix of traditional reels and ceilidh with banging beats and basslines.

Further exhibitions and installations announced for 2021 come from the festival’s Open Call Artists.

The funding scheme gives artists and creatives through an application process, the opportunity to have their ideas realised at Arts by the Sea.

This year they include:

• A light installation BMTHGLOW by Adrian Finn from Bournemouth-based architecture and design studio, The Guild, which aims to raise awareness of the plight of the glow-worm across the UK in a creative setting.
• The Journey of The Heart – an accessible and thought-provoking exhibition mixing art and opera at Russell-Cotes by holistic creative Chloe Sami.
• Brightly coloured Enchanted Garden by Urban Furniture Perspective – a performance group from East Howe collected together through art and making. The Lower Gardens will be transformed into an enchanted plot using giant mushrooms and larger-than-life flowers made completely from recycled and repurposed materials to emphasise the need to protect our environment.

For all performance times, dates and locations, visitors should check out the Arts by the Sea website.

Although the festival is free to attend, there is an entrance charge at Russell-Cotes as per the gallery’s standard admission process.

Arts by the Sea, which attracts tens of thousands of people each year,  is soon to announce its new for 2021 ‘Family Route’ which will highlight engaging workshops and experiences specially geared towards families, children and young people.

The festival, now in its 11th year, is delivered by BCP Council in association with Arts Council England, and under the creative direction of From The Fields (Bluedot Festival/Kendall Calling).

• Pictures from last year’s Arts by the Sea courtesy of James Bridle.