A free exhibition on the work of Ray Harryhausen – the mastermind behind some of Hollywood’s most iconic cinematic special effects – is to open in the North West for the very first time at Waterside’s Lauriston Gallery in Sale, Greater Manchester from 26 October 2024. Inspired by John Walsh’s book Ray Harryhausen:The Lost Movies, this exclusive exhibition promises a rare opportunity for film buffs and fans to experience the worlds and work of this visionary animation pioneer who influenced some of the biggest Hollywood directors of our time.
Developed in partnership with The Ray and Diana Harryhausen Foundation, The Lost Worlds of Ray Harryhausen exhibition will feature rare and previously un-exhibited pre-production artwork for some of his classic and much- loved films including Clash of the Titans, Jason and the Argonauts and The 7th Voyage of Sinbad. Artwork ranging from early sketches through to detailed key drawings will show the creative process behind his groundbreaking special effects, containing some of his most iconic creatures and sequences.
Additionally, sketches, key drawings and prototype models for un-realised Harryhausen projects such as The War of the Worlds, Baron Munchausen, People of the Mist and Force of the Trojans will also be displayed, many of which for the first time. For every project that Ray was able to produce for the cinema going audience, there were several which remained uncompleted and which live on through the incredible collection cared for by the Harryhausen Foundation.
As Connor Heaney Collections Manager from the Ray Harryhausen Foundation explains:
‘This exhibition presents a unique insight into Ray Harryhausen’s lifetime of imagination and creativity. Featuring artwork which spans his earliest experiments in the 1930s through to the unrealised Story of Odysseus in the late 1990s, this display will demonstrate the true extent of his genius. Fans of cinema will be fascinated to see alternate artwork for some of Ray Harryhausen’s most iconic creations, alongside previously unseen prototype models from the Foundation’s archive. Given the special historic connection between Ray Harryhausen and Cosgrove Hall Productions, Waterside Arts represents the perfect venue to showcase these unique and unseen treasures’.
This exhibition will also feature some of Ray’s work from unseen projects and untold stories that connect his artistry to the North West – a largely unknown connection. In 1996 Manchester based and internationally acclaimed animation studio, Cosgrove Hall Productions approached Ray for a project inspired by his own work. This became the un-realised The Story of Odysseus (1996-1998) – an ambitious project aimed to create a 75 – minute film, followed by 26 episodes, combining traditional stop motion and new technology at the time. This will be the first time audiences will be able to see objects and clips from this unfinished work together, reuniting the Cyclops housed by the Cosgrove Hall Film Archive with other work from the lost production.
Rosy Whittemore, Project Curator, Cosgrove Hall Films Archive comments: “This is a very special exhibition for all of us at Waterside, working collaboratively with The Ray and Diana Harryhausen Foundation to bring John Walsh’s Lost Movies book to life. I think people will really respond to seeing Harryhausen’s creative process in a new way, how he shaped and built his characters and creatures. Using his untold stories as a springboard, visitors will see rare and more experimental work from the animation legend for the first time in the North West and we are thrilled that we are the current custodians and guardians of such cinematic greatness.”
