Capturing Colour: Film, Invention and Wonder at Brighton Museum & Art Gallery –
reviewed by Child Friendly Brighton 4th December 2010
Capturing Colour at Brighton Museum & Art Gallery is a fascinating exhibition that takes you on a celebratory journey through the quest to capture colour on film, through inventions and scientific discovery. From the earliest colour photographs, to the arrival of subsequent colour film and television, the exhibition flows through each era of invention with rarely seen material and original artefacts.
The exhibition includes an interactive “Colour Explorers” guide especially for children. It is an imaginative and well thought out trail which enables them to participate, explore and most importantly, enjoy the exhibition as much as adults will. The Colour Explorers trail begins with a dressing up point, where young visitors choose their lab coats, wacky colourful wigs and plastic glasses, to help them get into character as colour scientists! A lovely fun guide to the activities is provided, so that children can follow the interactive displays dotted around the exhibition at colour-coded points. Some of my favourites: the Stereoscopes to view postcard images; the spinning Zoetrope, with plenty of paper and crayons so that visitors can try it out for themselves; and a section with optical toys such as kaleidoscopes and optical illusions, to learn how colour changes when it moves. There are several other sections in the trail, culminating in a ‘discovery box’ for an opportunity to express what they have learned and enjoyed.
In all, Capturing Colour is an impressive exhibition for all the family to discover the significance and magic of colour on film.
Capturing Colour is exhibited at Brighton Museum & Art Gallery 4th December 2010 – 20th March 2011
Address: Brighton Museum and Art Gallery, Royal Pavilion Gardens, Brighton BN1 1EE
Opening times: Tuesday – Sunday 10am – 5pm. Closed Mondays (except public holidays 10am-5pm), 24 Dec (from 2.30pm), 25, 26 & 27 Dec & 1 Jan
Admission: FREE
Website link: www.brighton-hove-rpml.org.uk
