Fabula Word Project Is Back!

As you may know we have been very busy exhibiting but soon we are going to return to our wonderful word project. This has been an exciting project for us in the past because all of our members UK and overseas can be involved. It's always fun to see different interpretations of the same word and a challenge to try and respond to whatever is suggested.

We thought we'd post a selection of past words here to wet your appetite for more that will come soon...

Clockwise from top left: by Louise Dennis, Juliette Rajak, Madeleine Swift and Nele Anders.

The way that it works is that each new word is put forward by a different Fabula member for everyone to respond to. It isn't just single images that have been inspired by this project but also small sequences or stories - for example 'A Square' by Somin Ahn (a short story about a cat - see previous post about Somin Ahn) and 'Give Me A Cuddle' by Jay Eunji Lee.

Clockwise from top left: by Clara Weifu, Nele Anders, Penelope Chong, Louise Dennis, Somin Ahn, and Juliette Rajak.

We find it a creative way to work together across continents and a good way to inspire new work. We will be posting our next words soon - so watch this space!

Clockwise from top left: by Clara Weifu, Jay Eunji Lee, Katherine Perrett, Louise Dennis and bottom left by Juliette Rajak.

Thank You So Much For Your Comments

Thanks to everyone who has already visited Many Ways To Tell A Story at Hove Museum. We've been delighted with the comments that have been left for us in the comments book  - it's wonderful to find out what you think of the exhibition. We thought we'd post a couple of comments here to show what the response has been and to say a big 'thank you'.

Views expressed in the comments book

Thanks to Elena (above) and to Emma and Natalie for these comments (below) - we're glad you enjoyed the show and thanks for sharing your thoughts about it. Just to answer your question - the Cinderella parts of The Story Cabinet were made by different Fabula artists and it's hard to say exactly how long these details took. The Story Cabinet altogether took about three months to make with a team of us doing it. It felt like we were working on it all the time for a while so it was a good job we loved making it!  It was fun coming up with ideas, working together and imagining what it would look like when it was finished. 

More comments - thank you for these

We are so excited to see that you have also been posting suggestions for us about new things to make for The Story Cabinet. A big thank you to everyone that has suggested something for us to add - we will be responding soon!

The exhibition Many Ways To Tell A Story is on at Hove Museum & Art Gallery until May 9th.
17 artists respond to stories old and new - loads to see for all ages and it's free!
Reviews:
The Argus Guide
The January 2017 issue of VIVA magazine page 58-59

Also, don't miss the next story themed creative workshop for children run by Fabula members on 28th January at 10.30 at Hove Museum and Art Gallery. See previous blog post here for a taste of what to expect.

Fabula Workshops at Hove Museum

The next workshop "Toy Stories"at Hove museum will be at 10.30 on Saturday 28th January. 

This is a creative workshop for children aged 7+ based on making story books inspired by characters in the toy collection and throughout the museum. Further details from:

http://brightonmuseums.org.uk/hove/whats-on/#!toy-stories or at the end of this post.

Read about our previous two creative workshops to get an idea of what to expect!....

Crackers!

Before Christmas families enjoyed this story-themed workshop at Hove Museum. Everyone had seen our exhibition Many Ways To Tell A Story beforehand (still on until May 9th at Hove Museum) and they were ready for some of their own story making.  Grown ups joined in and it was a lively family session!

The tables were laden with making materials, wrapping papers, foil, sequins, glitter, ribbons and glue as well as an abundance of recycled toilet rolls! Time to make some Christmas crackers!

Families in the process of making and two children show their crackers off proudly

Fabula member Juliette Rajak kicked off the proceedings by explaining how these were going to be different from normal Christmas crackers - how the children could use small toy animals, worry dolls, pom poms and their imaginations for inspiration to help them come up with stories to put inside.

Some children did lots of writing while others mainly made images. You could almost see the brain activity as the children started thinking about how they were going to tackle it - and it was tackled in as many different ways as there were children in the room. Some told touching tales about animals inspired by the worry dolls. There were stories that were based on fairy tales - perhaps inspired by the exhibition. There was a three-dimensional story with a secret part, a comic strip with no words, a miniature book made to go into the cracker - and more.  The whole room was sparkling with children's ideas (and glitter)!

One child carefully writes her story

The story, written and illustrated

Then we explained how to make the crackers themselves - placing the cracker snap inside, wrapping, twisting, a little bit of ribbon and hey presto!

Each cracker was individually crafted and unique and decorated both inside and out.  The children seemed very pleased with what they had made and some crackers were taken from the workshop very carefully wrapped up - we suspected they were going to be special Christmas presents.

Wrapping up the story to hide it in the cracker

This workshop certainly got us in the Christmas mood - we hope you all had a happy Christmas!

Story Houses

If you've already been to our exhibition then you'll know about The Story Cabinet - our collaborative piece made predominantly from cardboard and based around fairy tales. Likewise this workshop was inspired by fairy tales and makes use of lots of cardboard!

A house is a great place to stage a story: many fairy tales feature a house in the woods. The house could be friendly, a place of safety, mysterious, dangerous or magical. It might be different on the inside - not what it seems from the outside. Houses are also the place where our real life stories take place and children play with miniature versions - dolls houses and wendy houses.

A snowy house with smoke coming out of the chimney and a bit of magic sparkle on the roof

The children didn't need much encouragement to stage their own stories. Using pens, papers, fabrics, glue and their imaginations they set to work.

The concentration was evident as they got involved in the details of their individual creations. Their grown-ups joined in and offered assistance - at times seeming that they wanted to make their own house too! But the children had very definite ideas about what should be included and what should not. This child (above and below) spent ages on the details getting it just right

A very detailed house with individual bricks drawn and decorated with coloured fabrics

This child (below) focussed on who lived in the house. A funny story emerged around a penguin in the shower, a frog eating flies and a female super hero!

Inside the house live the penguin and the frog...

...and the super hero (girl)

And then the outside was collaged and drawn to make a flower garden.

A sleeping bird peeps out of the door - making it four occupants of this house

The inside is hidden (but you can peep through the window) and the roof is put on. 

There was lovely relaxed atmosphere as everyone got into their creative zone. We all worked right up to the end of the session - there's never enough time when your ideas start flowing!

Then, just before we said goodbye, we lit the houses up with candles (battery operated!) and turned the lights off

The house looked magical when they were all lit up

The next workshop "Toy Stories"at the museum will be at 10.30 on Saturday 28th January - we hope you can come! 

This is a creative workshop for children aged 7+ based on making story books inspired by characters in the toy collection and throughout the museum. It  will be facilitated by Fabula members Juliette Rajak and Louise Dennis. Further details from:

http://brightonmuseums.org.uk/hove/whats-on/#!toy-stories 

Admission
You can buy tickets by telephoning the Events Booking line on 03000 290902 (Mon-Fri) or in person at any of our venues. You can also email visitor.services@brighton-hove.gov.uk if you have any queries. A £1.50 booking fee may apply to some events. Tickets cannot be reserved without payment.

£5 per child, members £4 per child, advance booking advisable. 7 years and over. 

Just bring your imagination!

Spooky Tales in The Museum!

You might expect to hear a story being told during our current exhibition Many Ways to Tell A Story at Hove Museum and sure enough...

Before Christmas families came to hear a ghost story read by writer and storyteller Charles Rudkin. He sat on an original Victorian chair placed next to the beautiful fireplace. Wearing a splendid red hat and a black velvet coat he fittingly looked every bit like a character from a Dickens novel.  

The stage was set and the audience were not disappointed as he read one of his stories from a collection entitled 'Hauntings in the Museum'. All three stories are inspired by the Hove Museum's collection and its past and each one is illustrated by Fabula artist, Dagmara Rudkin.  

Hauntings in the Museum by Charles Rudkin, illustrations by Dagmara Rudkin

Charles has an excellent voice for storytelling and really commands the attention of his listeners. He told them a story inspired by the Wizards Attic - about the evil Master Gorger who kidnapped souls of children. As the story unfolded - laughter, gasps and tears of fear came from the audience. Thankfully the Wizard came to the rescue in the end and everybody went home happily!

A double page spread from The Fiend in the Attic

There are two other stories that Charles did not read this time - one is inspired by a famous Amber Cup that can be seen upstairs in the Museum and the other takes inspiration from the history of the family who originally owned the building. 

A double page spread from The Major

Charles and Dagmara are called Scribekin when they work together as artist and writer. This is the second of their fantastic collaborations the first being the animated retelling of 'Henny Penny' illustrated by Dagmara Rudkin and written and narrated by Charles. We are reliably informed that there are more to come  - watch this space!

It is still possible to purchase the zine 'Hauntings in The Museum' from the museum shop. The illustrations above are just a small taster of Dagmara Rudkin's work and to see more come to Hove Museum & Art Gallery where she is currently exhibiting with Fabula Collective until 9th May.  Here you will be able to see her book and the hand-made puppets from the making of her animation - a retelling of the story of Henny Penny. This film is also being screened upstairs at Hove Museum throughout the exhibition.

Family friendly exhibition and events at Hove Museum

Be careful not to stray from the path  - Mr Wolf is waiting for you at the museum!

We hope you will join us at Hove Museum for an exhibition with a story telling theme. The show is on until 9th May 2017.

It feels like Christmas! - but that's not just us getting excited - our visitors have told us that the show has a real 'Christmas' feel to it. There are many interactive exhibits that children (and adults) will enjoy and it is free to the public.

Sixteen Fabula Collective artists and our guest artist Joe Evans have put together a stunning feast for the eyes. Come and see new stories and old ones retold in imaginative and interesting ways - including books, films, narrative textiles and three dimensional installations. Perhaps a visit to a story telling exhibition in Hove Museum (a lovely venue in itself) could be an ideal antidote to the more commercial side of Christmas? Some of the work is inspired directly from Hove Museums permanent collection of toys, games and the history of film in Brighton and Hove that you will also be able to see when you visit.  For your information there is also a cafe at the Museum and it is a short walk from Hove seafront.

Story telling and workshops

STORYTELLING EVENT - 
next Saturday 17th at 11am and again at 1pm come to Hove Museum for ghost stories read by the fireside. The stories, illustrated by Fabula member Dagmara Rudkin and written by Charles Rudkin, were inspired by Hove Museum itself and are suitable for children aged 8 years and over. Charles will be reading one of three stories inspired by the toy collection at Hove Museum and Art Gallery. Come and hear about the evil master Gorger taking over all the toys and imprisoning the Wizard in the Attic. Can he be defeated? 

This story comes from a collection of short stories called 'Hauntings in the Museum'. The other stories are about a ghostly Major and the famous Amber Cup.

Book to ensure a place or drop in at 11am or Ipm.

ART WORKSHOP for children on Saturday 17th at 2.30 - 4pm run by Louise Dennis and Juliette Rajak. Come and make a Christmas decoration with a narrative twist! It is suitable for 5 -10 year olds. Book to ensure a place or drop in at 2.30. 

Image from the previous workshop where children made houses inspired by stories and fairy tales. These looked special and individual in the daylight  - turn the lights off and they looked even more magical!

The next workshop for children aged 7+ is on January 28th at 10.30

For booking and further info please go to http://brightonmuseums.org.uk/hove/whats-on
www.fabulacollective.com for further info about Fabula and individual artists

A Magical Exhibition of Stories At Hove Museum

Detail of The Story Cabinet - how many fairy tales can you spot?

Our Exhibition Many Ways To Tell A Story is looking so beautiful!

With 17 artists exhibiting a selection of story-themed work this show provides so many different ways to tell stories that you will find something for all ages and many different tastes.  We are excited! but it's not just down to our excitement - visitors have told us that there is a definite Christmas feel about the show - although the show does continue until May 9th. You can expect stories visualised in interesting and unexpected ways within a beautiful building set by the sea. And if that isn't evocative enough for you, perhaps the fairy lights from some of the exhibits will get you in the mood. 

The woods, a place where stories can grow. Who can you see looking out at you?

This is our biggest exhibition yet! It is bursting with stories told through book, film, 2D illustration and 3D installation on a wide variety of themes such as memories of a holiday camp, stories made in one minute, a variety children's books, a book to introduce opera to a reluctant audience, photographs that explore a sense of place, an installation situated in the fireplace inspired by the toy exhibits - and much more.  

Installation by Penelope Chong - Shadows escape down the fireplace. Inspired by Hove Museum's toy exhibits.

Peering in the round window at our private view.

Poster by Somin Ahn from her beautiful concertina book of  The Three Little Pigs (also exhibited)

Children (and adults) will enjoy using torches to spot details and identify stories in The Story Cabinet -  our collaborative piece that is made mainly from paper products and inspired by Fairy Tales. There are other interactive displays too where you can peer in with a torch for a visual surprise. Colouring and quiz sheets are available to help make the visit even more memorable for young children… and then of course there’s also Hove Museum’s magnificent permanent toy collection upstairs - and why not have some refreshment in the cafe?! Sounds like a perfect afternoon to us!

Images from Juliette Rajak's picture book 'Ellie's World'

The setting - Hove Museum

Imagine a story, there are many we know like this, that take place in a strange old mansion - itself brimming with magic and untold tales and set a little apart in some way from the rest of the world. The characters in it have to be young at heart if not actually young, and enter with a mind ready to discover their own magic and mysteries that are there to be found, if they look carefully. Then think of Hove Museum, situated well away from Brighton's city centre and near the coast. It feels a bit like a well-kept secret. There is an interesting history to Hove Museum - this building could tell a few tales.

Curated to appeal to families, it has a certain open and pleasant atmosphere, a quirkyness or originality. Perhaps there is an energy held within the building from stories in it's past - if you believe that sort of thing. Maybe it's the interesting exhibits including the huge collection of toys and games or it's collection about the history of film in Brighton and Hove. Certainly, it holds objects that would have been central to lots of tales and imaginings in their past. Somehow there is the right ambience. We think Hove Museum is a wonderful place for narratives to come alive. Fabula Collective's work  with it's focus on storytelling and narrative art fits just perfectly here.

In the busy build up to Christmas why not take some time to remember old stories and find new ones in this exhibition at Hove Museum?

Our guests look at puppets from Henny Penny by Dagmara Rudkin

STORYTELLING AND ART WORKSHOPS

STORYTELLING EVENT - next Saturday 17th at 11am and Ipm come to Hove Museum for ghost stories read by the fireside. The stories, illustrated by Fabula member Dagmara Rudkin and written by Charles Rudkin, were inspired by Hove Museum itself and are suitable for children aged 8 years and over. Charles will be reading one of three stories inspired by the toy collection at the Hove Museum & Art Gallery. Come and and hear about the evil Master Gorger taking over all the toys and imprisoning the Wizard in the Attic. Can he be defeated? 

This story comes from a collection of short stories called 'Hauntings in the Museum'. The other stories are about a ghostly Major and the famous Amber Cup.

Book to ensure a place or drop in at 11am or at Ipm.

ART WORKSHOP for children on Saturday 17th at 2.30 - 4pm run by Louise Dennis and Juliette Rajak. Come and make a Christmas decoration with a narrative twist! It is suitable for 5 -10 year olds. Book to ensure a place or drop in at 2.30. 

There is a further story themed workshop on 28th January.

For booking and further info please go to http://brightonmuseums.org.uk/hove/whats-on

She wants to tell you a story! - what story is it? (detail from The Story Cabinet)

Please go to the Fabula website for further information about us and please read our blog for fuller information about our artists and our preparations for the exhibition at Hove Museum. When you visit please remember to put your comments in the comments book as we'd love to hear what you think.

Embroidered dusters inspired by female characters in fairy tales and notions of domesticity. Vanessa's embroidered dolls are also on show in the exhibition.

Fabula at Hove Museum - Our Opening Weekend!

Last Friday was our Private View at Hove Museum. It was a lovely event and we were very pleased and excited to welcome lots of people to help us celebrate the start of the show. 

Looking into our cabinet of development work containing sketch books, maquettes and materials. 

The exhibition is looking spectacular and we couldn't be more happy with it. We'd like to extend a big thank you to The Royal Pavilion & Museums for hosting both the private view and our very beautiful show that was expertly curated by Julia Basnett.

Our curator Julia Basnett (left) accepting flowers given to her from Fabula Collective to say a big thank you for all her hard work. 

It all feels very Christmassy... here's a sneak preview for those of you who weren't there on Friday:

Captivating puppets and images from the story of Henny Penny by Dagmara Rudkin. This display is illuminated with lighting throughout and adds to seasonal feeling of the whole exhibition. 

Our guests admiring the exquisite film models and automaton by Richard Clarke. Don't forget to see the Fabula Film Reel  - five films showing upstairs in the museum.

We were also able to be part of the Open House event on the first weekend of the exhibition.

A selection of prints, paintings, cards and small gifts from Fabula were on sale and are now available to buy throughout the exhibition at the museum shop. 

We are particularly proud of the diversity in this exhibition - there will be something for everyone. We can't really do it justice here but we will try to give you some idea of what you can expect. There are hand made books retelling fairy tales, five short films (upstairs), stories told quickly through drawings done in one minute, a variety of children's books, three-dimensional work including The Story Cabinet, photography, poetry, narrative textiles and work inspired directly by our residency at Hove Museum.

The Camp by Madeleine Swift is in the book corner along with many other Fabula books. You can also see Madeleine's touching film about childhood memories of a holiday camp. 

Lively prints and a book in progress from Clara Wei Fu. It depicts a lovely story for children about an important relationship that helps the child to find their internal peaceful or happy place so they can cope with everyday life.

An illustrated introduction to Mozart's The Magic Flute by Jo Lawes. Colourful and appealing work made to introduce opera to a reluctant audience. 

This is The Story Cabinet - our collaborative piece. Some of the work in the exhibition, including the Story Cabinet,  is interactive because there are torches for you to use to peep in and get a better look at all the details. See how many fairy tales you can spot. Why not add another to our suggestion box and for children there are colouring and quiz sheets with sticker prizes to make their visit more memorable.

Peeping through the round window in The Story Cabinet. Three cabinets bursting with fairy tales!

Fabula Collective hope you will be able to come to see the exhibition which is on until 9th May at Hove Museum. 

Further information about the workshops that we are running alongside the show can been seen in the previous blogpost on this blog or at Hove Museum where you can book your place.