APRIL 2016: On Sunday 10th April, the Russell-Cotes Art Gallery & Museum will open its doors to its latest exhibition, Rituals & Revelry: Masks & Puppets from Around the World.
Puppets and masks are at the root of performing arts and are used in nearly all cultures throughout the world. From Spitting Image to bunraku puppets, and from the Vendetta mask to Noh plays, this fascinating exhibition from The Scottish Mask and Puppet Centre, Scotland’s primary resource in this field, will surprise and delight all ages. The Exhibition has been touring to major museums and galleries in the UK and Ireland. It also includes spectacular work from the Russell-Cotes own collections.
Masks, puppets and performing objects are one of the most ancient and popular forms of theatre. They can perhaps be best understood as a point of synthesis for all the arts, a unique combination of visual art, design, craft, dance, music, opera and drama. It is a vibrant living, breathing, subversive art form, which plays a major role in modern theatre; and has developed unique applications into film, television and the media.
Sarah Newman, Programmes Officer at the Russell-Cotes, commented, “We are delighted to host this exhibition at the Russell-Cotes, and encourage people to come along to see for themselves the colourful and vibrant range of exhibits”.
Malcolm Knight, Scottish Masks and Puppets Executive Director, said “Masks and puppets are tools of transformation. They are a unique seismograph of the consciousness that people have of themselves, others and the symbols of everything beyond the self. They are a doorway to myths, legends, sagas, ballads, folk tales, fairy stories, jokes and topical commentary around the world.”
Bournemouth’s Russell-Cotes Art Gallery and Museum is situated on the East Cliff with fantastic views of the coastline. The museum opens from 10am to 5pm, Tuesday-Sunday and Bank Holiday Mondays.
