The Mansio: Contemporary Writing Meets Ancient History – Hexham Book Festival 2016

The Mansio was no ordinary festival venue—it was a striking, mobile architectural structure inspired by Roman traveller lodgings, reimagined by architect Matthew Butcher as a “mobile ruin” touring sites along Hadrian’s Wall. Commissioned for Hexham Book Festival 2016, it became a unique space for reflection, performance, and dialogue—blending contemporary writing, radical design, and ancient landscape.

This short documentary explores how The Mansio challenged assumptions about literature, art, history, and public space. Through powerful readings and interviews with authors, audiences, and curators, the film reveals how the project invited people to look twice, reconsider boundaries—literal and metaphorical—and reflect on the enduring human themes of migration, division, identity, and connection.

Featuring performances and work by eight authors and poets who undertook residencies across the country—from west to east along the path of Hadrian’s Wall—the film captures The Mansio’s role as both artwork and forum. Whether visitors were drawn in by the architecture, the audio installations, or the poetry itself, the space offered multiple entry points for engagement and reflection.

🧱 “It’s about the human condition.”
📖 “Writing takes us into another world.”
🎤 “There is something exciting when a film translates a poem.”

Highlights include:
– Powerful reflections on history, conflict, and belonging
– Performances from Holly McNish and other featured writers
– Audience reactions from Hexham and beyond
– Behind-the-scenes insight into the design, brief, and cultural vision of The Mansio project

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📍 Filmed at Hexham Book Festival 2016
🏛️ Commissioned as part of Hadrian’s Wall: Connecting Light
📚 A touring structure celebrating literature, architecture, and place
🎥 Directed, filmed and edited by Alan Fentiman

📺 Watch more heritage and arts documentaries:
https://alanfentiman.co.uk/vimeo-vide...