There is a fairy tale exhibition in the Ian Potter Museum of Art called, ‘All the better to see you with: Fairy tales transformed’, featuring international and Australian artists. A number of artists have joined together and created pieces on their version of fairy tales or they’ve answered to certain aspects always present in those generic tales. Exhibited are forms of art exploring the role of fairy tales in contemporary society.
I didn’t understand fairy tales. Not until I was at my sixth form college, studying Angela Carter and her version of Little Red Riding Hood. That’s when I realised there’s so much more to a story with a happy ending. The traditional fairy tale stories we love and know are much different to those we read about and watch in mainstream media.
I compare fairy tales to a form of folk lore. Something I started to do in University when studying a unit on writing fairy tales. I wrote my own as an assignment and found it fun to weave old tales and traditions, with specific characteristics mixed in with my modern day world. I’d written about a gingerbread man based in a real location but turned into a castle. I guess everything and anything is possible when you let your mind wander. You can create worlds and be an authority on it while using words to encapsulate the changing notions in this world.
A lot of the old fairy tales weren’t as happy and positive. Baring in mind that nowadays the tales always include the witch or the baddie whose plans get thwarted. Back in the day, they weren’t the losers.
Silhouette Films
My favourites from the exhibition were the short silhouette films of some well-known tales. Cinderella, Hansel and Grettle, and Aladdin are among them. The shades of black and white have been used to create striking silhouette forms that are impressive, while a voiceover tells the story from the typical fairy tale third-person narrative.
Story telling is as alive as it’s ever been and artists still use it to express, educate and shape our sense of the world. I’m glad I had a look at what’s going on in Melbourne this weekend. There’s never a dull day in this city.
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