The Stuff of Nightmares

When re-told to children, fairy tales often assume an air of innocence. Good always triumphs over evil, heroes are selfless and love is everlasting. Some fairy tales however, explore the darker side of a child’s imaginary landscape.

For The Stuff of Nightmares, the Museum’s Front Room Gallery will be transformed into a sinister forest where anything might happen, the dark setting for a re-telling of The Brothers Grimm’s Fundevogel, a tale of abduction, fear, evil old women, revenge and ultimately, friendship.

The installation, made by local schoolchildren working with artists, sits alongside work by Katherine Tulloh, Ruth Weinberg, Daniel Bell and Sharon Brindle, which takes a closer look at the playthings of innocents.

Photo:

Mechanical toy cat, German 1900-1910 Museum no. B.199-1993 and mechanical toy monkey, probably Schuco, 1920s Museum no. B.384:1-3-1993