Edith Walks at HOME
Tom Grieve, Cinema Editor
Arriving at HOME this week is the latest film from director and artist Andrew Kötting (Swandown, Gallivant). Edith Walks documents a walking pilgrimage from Waltham Abbey in Essex via Battle Abbey to St Leonards-on-Sea in East Sussex in memory of Edith Swan Neck, the hand fast wife of King Harold – of Battle of Hastings fame. The 108-mile journey re-connects the lovers: bits of Harold’s remains were supposed to have been taken from St Leonards – where a statue of Edith now stands – to Waltham in the aftermath of the battle.
Kötting is joined on the walk by an eclectic group of “mummers” which include singer Claudia Barton, – representing Edith in flowing Medieval garb – Alan Moore and Iain Sinclair. There’s a playful, muckabout vibe as the companions use low-fi Super 8 iPhones to record their trek across the country; putting on impromptu performances and whiling away the hours speculating on the ways in which the life and legend of King Harold has reverberated through history, music and literature. Edith Walks will appeal to fans of Kötting’s earlier work, and those interested in shaggy English folklore and psychogeography.
Andrew Kötting will be present for a performance and Q&A following the 20:30 screening on Wed 21 Jun, as part of HOME’s Feature Expanded programme. Eden Kötting’s short animation Forgotten the Queen – also about Edith – will accompany all screenings.
