Island’s famous Roman mosaic inspires regatta hat – Isle of Wight Observer News

The 1,700-year-old image of a man with a rooster’s head discovered at Brading Roman Villa will be the subject of a spectacular hat being designed for next month’s Sandown Bay Regatta. Work on the headgear begins this week at the Regatta Hat Factory, which opens on Wednesday.

The valuable Gallus mosaic was unearthed from a field in Brading in the late 19th century and is one of the island’s most fascinating treasures. Sarah Girling, the villa’s conservation and education officer, is excited about the collaboration: “At Brading Roman Villa we love to inspire creativity, so it’s wonderful to be involved in hat making at the Regatta Hat Factory. It was great to see this Sandown tradition revived last year and we think the introduction of our truly unique mosaic Gallus – our rooster-headed man – fits the theme beautifully. We don’t know if he’s wearing a mask or a hat or maybe he’s a caricature, but he’s a lot of fun and we can’t wait to see the hat he inspires.”

Hat Factory artists Teresa Grimaldi and Joel Lines will be working with the community over the coming weeks on the giant hat, which will be unveiled at the Grand Regatta Hat Parade on Sunday 11 August. Lead artist Teresa finds the mystery of the Roosterhead Man endlessly fascinating: “Is the figure satirical? Mythical? A caricature of a local islander in costume or an unloved Roman emperor? It will be great fun to bring Gallus to life as an oversized hat and it will be exciting to see an interpretation of this iconic Brading mosaic as a spectacular headpiece on Sandown Beach.”

Other giant hats honouring Sandown are also in the works for this year’s regatta. Milliner Keely Hunter has designed a headpiece inspired by the nature of Culver Down and the surrounding meadows, while Brighton-based artist Kate Phillips is paying tribute to the town’s past with a hat honouring John Wilkes, the radical 18th century sailor.^th Politician of the century who made Sandown his home in a house he called Villakin.

The Regatta Hat Revival is an initiative of the Sandown Carnival, supported by Arts Council England. Carnival Chairman Paul Coueslant is delighted that the 135-year-old civic group has secured another round of funding to revive the town’s hat tradition: “Having the Arts Council’s support for the second year running is a real boost for Sandown. It means we can build on previous successes when our hat workshops and hat parades appealed to all age groups. Inspired by Sandown and the Bay, we hope even more people will get involved this summer and we look forward to seeing all kinds of weird and wonderful hats being made over the next few weeks.”

The Regatta Hat Factory is located at Boojum & Snark, 105 High Street, Sandown PO36 8AF and is open from 17 July to 11 August, Wednesday to Sunday from 12pm-8pm. It is completely free to attend, materials and instruction are provided and no previous experience is necessary. Larger groups or community organisations can plan their visit by emailing [email protected].

The Sandown Bay Regatta takes place over the weekend of August 10th and 11th, with the Grand Regatta Hat Parade on Sunday 11th at 2.30pm. www.sandowncarnival.com/event-calendar/sandown-bay-regatta-2024