Rare and previously un-exhibited artwork from Hollywood legend, Ray Harryhausen will be appearing in a new exhibition.
American visual effects creator, Harryhausen, is widely acknowledged as a leading exponent of stop-motion animation, notably, Dynamation. His work included Clash of the Titans, Jason and the Argonauts and The 7th Voyage of Sinbad.
The Lost Worlds of Ray Harryhausen: Creatures, Martians and Myths will come to the Lauriston Gallery at Waterside, Sale from October until January next year.
Inspired by John Walsh’s book Harryhausen: The Lost Movies, this exclusive exhibition promises a rare opportunity for film buffs and fans to experience the worlds and work of this visionary animation pioneer who influenced some of the biggest Hollywood directors of our time.
“This exhibition presents a unique insight into Ray Harryhausen’s lifetime of imagination and creativity,” explained Connor Heaney, Collections Manager from the Ray Harryhausen Foundation.
“Featuring artwork which spans his earliest experiments in the 1930s through to the unrealised Story of Odysseus in the late 1990s, this display will demonstrate the true extent of his genius. Fans of cinema will be fascinated to see alternate artwork for some of Ray Harryhausen’s most iconic creations, alongside previously unseen prototype models from the Foundation’s archive. Given the special historic connection between Ray Harryhausen and Cosgrove Hall Productions, Waterside Arts represents the perfect venue to showcase these unique and unseen treasures.”
Artwork ranging from early sketches through to detailed key drawings will show the creative process behind his groundbreaking special effects, containing some of his most iconic creatures and sequences.
There will also be sketches, key drawings and prototype models for un-realised Harryhausen projects such as The War of the Worlds, Baron Munchausen, People of the Mist and Force of the Trojans – many of which for the first time.
There will also be a focus on his links to the region, including when, in 1996, Manchester-based animation studio, Cosgrove Hall Productions approached him for a project inspired by his own work.
This became the un-realised The Story of Odysseus (1996-1998) – an ambitious project aimed to create a 75 minute film, followed by 26 episodes, combining traditional stop motion and new technology at the time.
The exhibition will be the first time audiences will be able to see objects and clips from this unfinished work together, reuniting the Cyclops housed by the Cosgrove Hall Film Archive with other work from the lost production. The photo above is of Harryhausen and Mark Hall, courtesy of Brian Cosgrove.
“This is a very special exhibition for all of us at Waterside, working collaboratively with The Ray and Diana Harryhausen Foundation to bring John Walsh’s Lost Movies book to life,” added Rosy Whittemore, Project Curator, Cosgrove Hall Films Archive.
“I think people will really respond to seeing Harryhausen’s creative process in a new way, how he shaped and built his characters and creatures. Using his untold stories as a springboard, visitors will see rare and more experimental work from the animation legend for the first time in the North West and we are thrilled that we are the current custodians and guardians of such cinematic greatness.”
The Ray & Diana Harryhausen Foundation is a charitable Trust set up by Harryhausen in 1986. Its aim is to protect his name and body of work as well as archiving, preserving and restoring his extensive collection.
It is estimated that there are in excess of 50,000 items in the collection, including original armatured models, hard rubber stand-in models, armatures, original moulds, original artwork, original miniatures, stills, negatives, original equipment, paperwork, screenplays, various test and dailies footage, books and many influences, such as paintings and lithographs by Gustav Dore, John Martin and Willis O’Brien.
During his life, he rarely threw anything away, which is why the collection is near complete and contains so much original material.
