Wicker Man sacrifice sparks festival’s fiery finale

The burning of the Wicker Man at the close of the festival Photo: © The Hackney Citizen Ltd

The Hackney WickED Art Festival drew to a fiery close last night with the ritual burning of a Wicker Man. The nine-foot-high construction, fashioned out of cardboard by local artists, was burned just after 10pm on Sunday evening, while a crowd of several hundred looked on.

Bands had played throughout the evening to mark the end of what was widely recognised as a highly successful event.

In addition to art on display in galleries, there were also a series of live performances, a graffiti jam on Saturday, a production of the play Judith by Howard Barker in the disused Lord Napier pub, and a gestural action painting by artist Graham Elder, to the accompaniment of live music.

Organiser Anna Maloney spoke of plans for an event bigger festival next year, but she also noted the need to preserve the ‘element of randomness’ that marked this year’s event.

More on the Hackney WickED festival here.

Hackney WickED Art Festival photo gallery here.