Head to ACMI for this exhibition devoted to the cracking clay creations of Bristol-based studio Aardman Animations – behind box office hit Chicken Run, Academy Award-winning feature The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, cheese-loving inventors Wallace and Gromit, and (for anyone born in the 80s) tiny nude rad dude Morph.
ACMI’s show is based on the 2015 Paris exhibition curated by Art Ludique-Le Musée in close collaboration with Aardman, and features over 350 objects – from sketchbooks to storyboards to sets, clay figures and puppets. A key point of difference from the Paris show is the inclusion of artwork from Nick Park’s forthcoming feature Early Man (set in prehistoric earth, and featuring voicework by Eddie Redmayne and Tom Hiddleston).
ACMI is also presenting a public program of workshops, screenings and talks around the opening week of the exhibition, with Aardman studio founders Peter Lord and David Sproxton in attendance. Make a bee-line for the complete retrospective of Aardman’s feature and short films (from Sat Jul 1), and A Night Out With Aardman (Fri Jun 30) in which Lord and Sproxton take the audience behind the scenes of some of their most popular creations, and reveal creative inspirations.