Past Projects
Borderlines Film Festival, Berrington Hall
Mirror Mirror (accompanied by Miss Rosemary Cronin) spent a day introducing important pioneers whose inventions and experiments led to the dawn of the moving image and cinema to young residents of Leominster, this was followed up by a drop in Saturday of activities focusing on Slapstick Comedy including opposition and gesture games, Slapstick Comedy Trail and a scary backstage ghost story.
Capture, Open Studio, TATE Modern
Mirror Mirror Education present Capture, an immersive environment created for the Open Studio programme at Tate Modern. Made in personal response to Tacita Dean’s FILM, inspiration for Capture is steeped in the science, mechanics and magic of film making and viewing. Visitors to the installation are invited to explore the ephemeral properties of light, projection and reflection.
Colour Scientists, Big and Small day, TATE Britain
Colour Scientists Delia and Daphne transformed the Manton Room at TATE Britain into their very own laboratory. A variety of projection methods (OHPs, slide machines and computers) and moving, tangible screens were used to test the influence of colour on memories and associations. Visitors from the ages of 6 months to 60 years bathed in the varied coloured lights that Delia, Daphne and their assistants cast upon them to the sound of a spooky sc-fi soundtrack, gathering opinions and observations from all those who popped by. Many were inspired stayed on to make their own colourful creations.
VIDEO FOOTAGE COMING SOON!!!
Geometric Dancing, Tiny TATE, TATE Britain
Dance like a triangle! Squat like a square! Find your inner circle! Mirror Mirror took part in Tiny TATE getting the 5s and under brigade to create geometric shapes through dance, fashion a wire model based on their chosen shape and dress it with flowing, colourful cloth. Inspired by artists and materials of the early 20th century, the final sculptures were paraded across Millbank and into TATE Britain where we danced and danced until we found the works of Jacob Epstein, Wyndham Lewis and David Bomberg.
The Smoking Cabinet at Uxbridge Street Festival 2011
Starting off with a round of optical illusions and toys, Aymie and I were surprised to see how popular the old magic lantern was with children who are young enough only to have ever seen digital film. Following a fantastic dance display by the Bees Knees, Mirror Mirror brought 1920s absolutist film, the hand dance of Tilly Losch and the opulent effervescence of Busby Berkley to the streets of Uxbridge in our mini (dance) ciné.
Make Do and Mend, Alternative Village Fete, South Bank, London
In light of Caroline Lucas MP’s recent comments about starting a ‘new home front’ and taking on the lessons in domestic economics promoted by the Ministry of Information (MOI) during World War Two – Mirror Mirror celebrated the spirit of ‘make do and mend’ at Home Live Art’s The Alternative Village Fete 2011 .
In our mini cinema tent we screened a series of MOI instructional films such as Share Your Books! (1940), Energy Saving Kids (1944) and Mrs Sew and Sew (1943), whilst encouraging contributions to our patchwork blanket using Aymie’s early 20th century Singer sewing machine.
Slapstick Comedy Day, Film Club, Pinewood Primary Romford
The golden era of cinematic slapstick that grew from popular music hall sketches, relied on hand-made special effects, cross dressing, acrobatic feats, comedy timing – plus a lot more ingenuity than used in comedy films of today. Mirror Mirror spent a day with Pinewood Primary looking at the likes of Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Mabel Normand and Harold Lloyd.
Magic Lanterns! Hillingdon Art Week, Compass Theatre, Uxbridge
The oldest form of projecting an image was put to good use by lady travellers Annie and Margaret (Aymie and Claire) as they showed off their latest slides documenting exotic encounters, distant civilizations and great feats of engineering from across the Victorian Empire – but did they really go on a challenging expedition to other worlds or just the Great Exhibition of 1851 – in Hyde Park?
This workshop also included Mirror Mirrors Table of Curiosities, featuring ‘persistence of vision’ toys including thaumatropes and flick books. We made our own magic lantern slides and projected the finished objects for all to see. Finishing the afternoon with early cinema treats from pioneers Georges Jean Méliès and R.W Paul.
Magic Pictures! (Photograms), Ragged School Museum, Mile End
An atmospheric story based camera-less photography workshop which demonstrated the early processes that lead to filmmaking. Children were invited to capture images using flowers, negatives, lace and costume jewellery.
Victorian Cinema Day, Film Club, Yenton Primary, Solihull
Mirror Mirror (accompanied by Mr Christopher Babbidge and Film Club) spent a day introducing important pioneers whose inventions and experiments led to the dawn of the moving image and cinema. Activities included Victorian Parlour Games, Table of Curiosities, Photograms, Birth of Cinema Trail and the First Ever Film Awards.
