It’s October! That means Halloween is just around the corner. Soon Coventry will be filled with ghoulish ghosts and scary skeletons on every street. To keep with this theme The Herbert art gallery are having a month long ‘Festival of the Dead’ exhibition, which explores death in cultures around the world. Our UnCOVered blogger Kyle went down to review the exhibition’s first event:
Usually art galleries are pretty quiet places, but that wasn’t the case during the Herbert’s ‘Ghost Town’ event. The gallery was transformed into a performance space, filled with loud sounds and interesting sights.
Out of all the activities at the Herbert, being able to watch artists live at work was the most fun. As the day went on you could see their blank canvases transform into full works of art. Outside the gallery itself, a team of street artists made a graffiti piece inspired by ideas about death. They worked through the day, even in the pouring rain, and slowly created a great art piece that was displayed outside for a few days. Inside the gallery different art was being made mainly using pre-made pictures, stuck onto a wall to become a collage.
As well as the traditional art pieces being made, there were some unconventional ones too. Upstairs two costumed beauty artists transformed people into colourful skeletons. It was an almost pantomime performance, especially as the artists were in big puffy costumes that constantly shook and moved as they worked. Everyone watching it was entertained and amazed by what was happening on stage.
As well as all the professional artists, there were activities for amateurs to have a go at. Big tables were set out where you could grab a couple of pencils and make your own. Unfortunately I didn’t have time to make my own, but there were some other great pieces made by the other people and kids that were in the gallery
Overall the Ghost town exhibition was a lot of fun! And I’m looking forward to seeing the rest of the exhibitions throughout October.
