Opening tomorrow at the Arc, Winchester, Ray Harryhausen Myths in Motion sees cinematic giant Ray Harryhausen’s world of creatures and myth arrive. Created in collaboration with the Ray and Diana Harryhausen Foundation, the show features over 70 pieces. The gallery is home to the slithering Medusa, creaking bronze colossus Talos, grinning skeletons and many more creations that Harryhausen’s artistry brought to life. Featuring art-historical reference points and the works of animators past and present, the exhibition provides a rich look at the layers of Harryhausen's legacy.
Ahead of the opening of Myths in Motion, this article shares three elements from the exhibition that demonstrate the depth of Harryhausen's processes and impact.
Quotes from Vanessa Harryhausen give insights into the immersion in myths and animation achieved by Ray Harryhausen. Vanessa recounts stories about model making and the many reference points of Harryhausen. In the anecdote below, Vanessa recalls a time Ray used the painting Jupiter Pluvius to rationalise a storm.
From the exhibition:
‘This painting has always been a part of my life, as far back as I can remember. It hung in our small study/tv room, and I was always used to it being at home One particular time, we had a very bad thunderstorm when I was young, and I was quite frightened. Dad would take me into the study to show me the painting, and point at Zeus- “See the big man in the chair? When he gets angry, he throws his lightning bolts, and thumps his fists- that’s what’s making all the noise outside!’
I guess that it was his way of rationalising the storm for a child.
Harryhausen is contextualised amid epic story tellers such as Dante, Ovid, and Gustave Doré.
Ray Harryhausen didn’t just depict mythical figures, like all epic artists; he reinvented them. Working within budgetary and practical constraints and needing to entertain and create awe, he reworked figures such as Talos. Some of these new interpretations stuck and appear in the show through models and interpretation.
"TALOS: A Greek warrior with a sword and helmet, according to myth, Talos was a being made of bronze who guarded Crete. Storytellers introduced Talos into wider narratives as a figure blurring the lines between past and present, technology and humanity, immortality and mortality. The size of Talos is not mentioned in ancient sources – Ray is responsible for popularising its gigantic stature."
Quotes, ephemera and animations evidence the impact Harryhausen has had on film and myth makers to this day.
"As a filmmaker, you're looking for gaps in cinematic culture, things that haven't been done before. And what I saw is that all of this great mythological cinematic work that I had grown up with - Ray Harryhausen movies and other things - I'd never seen that done with the sort of weight and credibility that an A-budget and a big Hollywood, IMAX production could do" - Christopher Nolan
In the films of Christopher Nolan and countless other creative spaces, Harryhausen lives on in spirit.
As these three points illustrate, Ray Harryhausen: Myths in Motion offers a close and vivid look at a creative practice grounded in a passionate love of animation and awe – a passion that still inspires many today.
From inspirational scenes and stories such as John Gandy’s Jupiter Pluvius Painting to a volcanic dinosaur set, this show captures the imagination and painstaking patience needed to bring myth and magic into touching distance. Ray Harryhausen had an astonishing impact on the film industry and the way stories are made and told. Come and encounter the richness of his legacy at the Arc, Winchester.
Ray Harryhausen: Myths in Motion runs until the 16th of February. Find out more and book tickets here:
