Monthly Archives: July 2013

Festival of Archaeology: Roman Town House Tours Sunday 28th July 2013

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Dorchester Roman Town House

Dorchester Roman Town House

As part of the current Festival of British Archaeology, Dorset County Museum is offering the opportunity to visit the Roman Town House in Dorchester.

The Town House, behind County Hall in Dorchester, is not normally open to the public.  This is a fantastic opportunity to get right inside and have a fully guided tour of the building and see the beautiful mosaic floors at close range.

Tours cost just £6.50 and the ticket also includes entry to the Museum on the day. Tickets are available from the Museum on 01305 756827 or from the Museum Shop on shop@dorsetcountymuseum.org.  Accompanied children are free of charge.

The tours commence at the Town House at 10.30am, 12 noon, 1.30pm and 3.30pm on Sunday 28th July only. As numbers are limited please book early to ensure a place.

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Festival of Archaeology at the Dorset County Museum

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All Saint's Church, Dorchester

Dorset County Museum’s Archaeology Store – All Saint’s Church, High East Street, Dorchester

On the 22nd July 2013, as part of the CBA Festival of British Archaeology, a rare opportunity to tour the Dorset County Museum’s archaeology store in All Saint’s Church, High East Street, Dorchester. Tours will commence from the Museum at: 10.30am, 12 noon, 1.30pm and 3.30pm. The Ticket Price of 36.50 includes admission to the museum

If you have any finds from metal detecting, field walking or casual finds. from gardening etc. This includes metal objects such as coins, buckles, brooches and tools, as well as pottery, tile and worked stone and want to know more about them, show them to Ciorstaidh Hayward Trevarthen, Finds Liaison Officer for Somerset and Dorset Portable Antiquities Scheme, who is holding a finds identification ‘surgery’ at the museum. We will identify your finds and then, depending on their date and type, decide if they need to be recorded in more detail.

Dorchester Roman Town House

Dorchester Roman Town House

On the 28th July 2013 there will be a rare opportunity to go inside Dorchester’s Roman Town House and see the beautiful mosaic floors at close range. Tours will commence from the Town House at: 11.00am, 12.00pm, 1.30pm and 3.30pm. £6.50 for adults, accompanied children are free (this ticket also entitles you to entry to the Museum). As numbers are limited, please book your ticket through the Museum shop.

For further information contact the Museum on 01305 262735 or check the website on www.dorsetcountymuseum.org

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A selection of short films from the Animated Exeter Festival

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Animated ExeterOn Wednesday 17th July 2013, the Dorset County Museum will be screening a selection of short films from the Animated Exeter Festival 2013.  Showcasing a range of exciting new animators from the UK including independent animators, recent graduates, and young people’s animation. Screening starts at 6.30pm (doors open at 6.00pm) entry is FREE, though a £3 donation encouraged.

For further information contact the Museum on 01305 262735 or check the website on www.dorsetcountymuseum.org

 

Here is a programme of films that will be shown:

Independent Animators

  • The Goat Herder and his lots and lots and lots of Goats dir. William Rose, 7:12 mins. Inspired by my two year old niece who having seen a goat herder in Spain kept chanting ‘lots and lots and lots of goats!’ The story follows a day in the life of a goat herder and his flock of goats as they travel up and down the mountains of Spain, There is no dialogue. The story is told using sound and movement.
  • Superfast Samosa dir. Sundeep Toor, 1:28 mins. Breakout the mango chutney, cos everyone wants a piece of him! The gingerbread man story retold with a Bollywood twist.
  • The Fat Cat dir. Mole Hill, 1:00 mins. Etched in wax from a garage somewhere in Cheshire, the fat cat always gets what it wants.
  • Saturdays dir. Hanieh Shojaee, 5:31 mins. In an ederly nursing home it is a custom that every Saturday a visitor family come and choose one of the old people as their new grandparent. Today is one of those Saturdays.
  • Focus dir. Andy Shackleford, 4:44 mins. This music video visualises the journey singer/songwriter Ryan Keen has taken to follow his dream, being brave and taking that fearful step away from the security of an everyday job and living to pursue his dreams as a musician.
  • Birdfood dir. Richard Keane, 4:44 mins. A man plans to eat his lunch in the park but the local pigeons have other ideas!

Under 18s

  • Wicked Witch dir. Laurie Cousins. Under 12, 2:10 mins. Hand drawn animation in which a witch is looking for a green bellied rat for her potion but a boy stops her getting it.
  • Polar Bear dir. Joe Blandamer , Under 12, 00:45 mins. Climate change in the Arctic and its effects on Polar Bears.
  • Anwylyd & The Donkey dir. Corris Primary School. Under 12, 7:38 mins. When the Prince gets turned into a Donkey, he must travel across the entire kingdom in search of a way to break the hideous spell upon him. A farmer’s daughter, a wise pig and a two headed dragon will all help him solve the riddle and restore the Kingdom to normal.
  • The Helpful Dead dir. Wyke Regis Junior School. Under 12, 3 mins.  A grieving mother, an Olympic sailor in trouble and a drowning boy who becomes a legend: the Helpful Deaf is the story of a tall ship sunk off Dead Man’s Cove, Portland in 1872, and an emotional link with the 2012 sailing events.
  • Farmyard’s Got Talent! dir. Joe Blandamer . Under 18, 01:01 mins. Crackling the pig tries his hand at animal impersonations!
  • Greyworth Museum dir. Aelfred Hillman. Under 12, 1:27 mins. The ‘Greyworth Museum’ is thrown into chaos when its prize exhibit is stolen in broad day light!
  • Laurilie takes a Bath Mary Tavy and Brentor Primary Schools. Under 12, 1:30 mins. Looking at the theme of water.
  • Helium dir. Joe Blandamer. Under 18, 00:46 mins. A boy investigates the effects of helium with a surprising result!

2012 Graduates

  • Merfolk dir. Rory Waudby-Tolley, Bournemouth University, NCCA. 2:34 mins. An animated mock-umentary film set in an alternate reality. Forced to leave the polluted oceans an elderly couple of Merfolk refugees discuss the society they now live in and how they have adapted to their new life.
  • Playtime dirs. Benjamin Kwok & Bhavik Patel/ Director Benjamin Kwok, Bournemouth University, NCCA. 2:12 mins. A fun quirky, visual effects filled short about giant toys which live in our city. They have lived with us for a while and have started to integrate themselves into our day to day life with varying degrees of success.
  • Dear Diary dir. Julia Pressler. Bournemouth University, NCCA. 1:26 mins. If you found the diary of someone you liked, would you read it or not? This is the question ordinary guy Todd has to face in the animated short. His struggle with his own curiosity is presented in a simple but artistic way combining digital 2D silhouettes with modern 3D animations.
  • Dandelion dir. Tengs Sviggum, University of Glamorgan. 2:04 mins. A gentle breeze brings with it the seeds of change.
  • Azoic dirs. Jack Kersey, Anthony Green, David Khosab. Bournemouth University, NCCA. 2:12 mins. This project was an abstract piece, set in an entirely fictional world. It presents us with a visual journey through a world populated by computer inspired creatures and environments. In each scene there is a theme from nature built using computer components and other technology inspired devices.
  • Cosmo dir. Gregory Holgate, Arts University College, Bournemouth. 4:19 mins. Stuck in the rafters of a grand theatre, a lamp dreams of the spotlight.
  • Undercolour dir. Emanuela Gatto, NCCA, Bournemouth. 4:41 mins. Undercolour is a short animation, genre drama. It is based on Plato’s Myth of the Cave and it talks about an epiphany. Unfortunately the knowledge of truth generates a sense of alienation for the main character.
  • The Monster dir. Toby Dixon, Arts University College, Bournemouth. 3:29 mins. A brave little warrior and her trusty steed are on a quest to rid the forest of a monster. But is Little truly prepared for what will face her at the end of her journey?
  • Shell and Paddy dir.Thomas Spettel & Joseph Hill, University College, Falmouth. 4 mins. Paddy a low life scavenger finds a tasty snack which is Shell a cute looking bug whose hard shell protects him from anything with big teeth but maybe not hands. However small Shell has no intention of becoming a snack. It’s slapstick comedy in a weird but funny animal world.

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Aged between 17 – 25? Want to explore your creativity and get a nationally recognised qualification?

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Aged between 17 - 25? Want to explore your creativity and get a nationally recognised qualification?

Aged between 17 – 25? Want to explore your creativity and get a nationally recognised qualification?

You can be the creator or performer of your own work, or develop your skills in essential roles like marketing or stage management.

Find out what inspires you, share your talents, and you’ll walk away with an award that makes a real difference in the world of work and the arts. (It counts for 35 UCAS points too!)

Whatever art form you’re interested in Gold Arts Award fits you; from costume to poetry, rapping to dancing, sculpture to film.

All fees met, tuition and access to expert practitioners free, funded by the Arts Council and Heritage Lottery Fund.

To discuss this opportunity please contact Pippa Brindley, Dorset County Museum  Learning Manager, Tel: 01305 756832 or email learning@dorsetcountymuseum.org

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Lecture: Thomas Hardy and Dorset Folklore by Dr. Peter Robson

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Hardy Players' Mummers

The Mummers in the Hardy Players’ version of ‘The Return of the Native’. Eustacia Vye (extreme left, disguised) was played by Gertrude Bugler. On Christmas Night 1920 the players gave a performance at Hardy’s house, Max Gate.

The novels and stories of Thomas Hardy are filled with examples of folklore – customs, songs, superstitions, witches, mummers and much more.

But were these country traditions actually taken by Hardy from the Dorset of his childhood or were they products of his fertile literary imagination?  On the Thursday 25th July 2013 at 7.30pm at the Dorset County Museum Dr. Peter Robson will explore this question by looking at a variety of examples of Dorset folklore described by Hardy, from the Mellstock Quire to the Egdon Mummers, from Conjuror Trendle to the unfortunate William Privett and beyond. He will illustrate his talk by pictures of the people and places concerned and by sound recordings.

Dr. Peter Robson has been researching Dorset folklore for many years and has written and spoken widely on this subject. Most recently he has become particularly interested in Thomas Hardy’s writings as an almost untapped source for the study of rural folklore.

This is the second in a series of five lectures about Thomas Hardy and is part of a larger project including the National Trust and the University of Exeter. It is hoped that the more academic nature of these lectures will provide the general public and lovers of Hardy’s novels with an increased connection to contemporary ideas about his work.

Entry to the talk is FREE but a donation of £3.00 is encouraged to cover costs. Everyone is welcome and there is no need to book.  Doors open at 7.00pm.

For further information contact the Museum on 01305 262735 or check the website on www.dorsetcountymuseum.org

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