Arts

Fantastic creatures

A University Gallery exhibition of work by renowned Mexican artist Francisco Toledo, entitled Zoología Fantástica, is to inspire a study day organised by creative writers from the Department of Literature, Film, and Theatre Studies.

Jess Kenny, Director of the University Gallery, explains: ‘Drawing on modern myth and ancestral traditions, Toledo creates a fantastical world inspired by the work of writer and poet Jorge Lois Borges. First published in 1957, Borges’ Handbook of Fantastic Creatures attempts to catalogue all the mythical creatures of history and legend in the world. With over 100 creatures including dragons and centaurs, chimeras and banshees sitting alongside Morlocks from HG Wells’ The Time Machine and Lewis Caroll’s Cheshire cat Francisco Toledo creates his own interpretation of the strange and bizarre creatures from Borges’ handbook.’

The combination of artist and writer is the catalyst for this discussion on mythical creatures in literature and art on Wednesday 18 March from 3pm to 7pm in the Gallery. Curator and writer Catherine Lampert will discuss Toledo’s artworks, while Ruth Padel and Gilbert Adair will focus on Borges’ catalogue of mythical creatures in literature.

Supported by the University of Essex Collection of Latin American Art, Galaria Arvil in Mexico, and the Mexican Embassy in the UK, this study day also include a workshop, chaired by the Department’s Professor Marina Warner, for creative writing students, who will be joined by Alevel Literature students from Colchester’s Sixth Form College.

The Zoología Fantástica exhibition, organised by Jess Kenny and Professor Dawn Ades from the Department of Art History and Theory, was opened by Ignacio Duran, cultural attaché to the Mexican embassy on Thursday 26 February. It runs until 21 March. Admission is free, with the University Gallery open 11am to 5pm Monday to Friday and 12noon to 4pm Saturday.

Musical mixture

Very different musical tastes will be catered for at the University this month, with folk music and jazz performances taking place at the Lakeside Theatre

The University’s musicians in residence, the Angell Trio, present a programme with a folk music theme at 8.30pm on Saturday 14 March. Beginning with Swiss composer Frank Martin’s Trio on Irish Folk Tunes, they will also play Kodaly’s Duo for Violin and Cello and Barok’s Rumanian Folk Dances for Violin and Piano, before finishing with Dvorak’s Trio in E minor.

The Ingrid Laubrock Quartet then perform at the Lakeside Theatre at 8.30pm on Saturday 21 March. Led by BBC Jazz Award winner Ingrid Laubrock on soprano and tenor sax, the quintet (cellist Ben Davis, drummer Stuart Richie, pianist Barry Green and double bassist Larry Bartley) played to a sold-out house at last year’s Cheltenham Jazz Festival.

For more information and to book tickets, please visit: www.essex.ac.uk/artson5.

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Also in the printed March edition of Wyvern:

• A tribute to Ken
• Latin American symposium
• New grant for UECLAA