Beloved and Forsaken

May 15 to September 12, 2004

An installation by Spring Hurlbut, 
revealing the humble and the remarkable 
from the collections of The Manchester Museum

In her first exhibition in Britain, Canadian artist Spring Hurlbut
creates a "museum within a museum". "Beloved and Forsaken" is the result
of Hurlbut's year-long exploration of The Manchester Museum's
collections and other collections held by The University of Manchester.
"Beloved and Forsaken" recalls the feeling of an old museum, and
includes objects that have never been on public display.

In her exhibition, Hurlbut displays snakes and squid from the Museum's
Zoology department, antique dentures from the Dental School, Stinkhorn
toadstools from Botany, mummy dust from Egyptology, and one of the
Museum's oldest stuffed specimens, "Mr Potter's Cow". Using a very
personal and poetic approach, "Beloved and Forsaken" reveals unexpected
connections between objects from different countries and distant times.

Beloved and Forsaken is the first exhibition of the Alchemy project.
Spring Hurlbut is one of six artists on the Alchemy project exploring
the material and the nonmaterial aspects of the natural world and human
culture. Alchemy parallels academic and artistic research, with the
research undertaken by the six artists will becoming the output of their
individual projects. Visitors will see dynamic contemporary art emerging
around the building. Infusing and recharging the Museum with new
perspectives and ideas Alchemy has the potential to transform how we
view our own cultures and heritage; questioning the boundaries and
divisions of knowledge

ALCHEMY EVENINGS
View "Beloved and Forsaken" after hours and join us for a talk in Cafe
Muse.

Forget transforming base metals into gold! Come to our evening talks and
discover Alchemy in unexpected places. Enjoy the exhibition 'Beloved and
Forsaken' after hours, then sit back and relax in Cafe Muse for an
evening of Alchemical adventure that will take you from Ancient Egyptian
mysteries to Arabian cities!

5.00-6.00 pm - view 'Beloved and Forsaken'
6.00-7.15 pm - lecture in Cafe Muse
All talks £2
Drop in, or book ahead to ensure a seat

Thursday 3 June
Alchemy and Witchcraft
Presented by Dr Ian Fairweather, University of Manchester and
co-authored by Dr Stephen Pumfrey, University of Lancaster.
Why has the "the witch" - a person of magic and mystery - fascinated and
frightened us for so long? Dr Fairweather explores this figure's
transformative powers across cultures and eras.

Thursday 24 June
Alchemy in Surrealist Art
Dr Urszula Szulakowska, University of Leeds
Discover the overlooked female artists of the Surrealist movement and
their use of alchemical imagery.

Thursday 15 July
Alchemy and Ancient Egypt
Dr Christina Riggs, The Manchester Museum
The physical and the metaphysical have been linked for millennia. Join
Dr Riggs to uncover the medical and spiritual beliefs that were at the
centre of ancient Egyptian culture.

Thursday 5 August
Alchemy and Shakespeare
Dr Richard MacKenney, University of Edinburgh
Enter the magical world of the Renaissance through some of Shakespeare's
best known plays. 

Thursday 26 August
Early Alchemy and Baghdad
Dr George Gheverghese Joseph, University of Toronto
Take an historical look at Baghdad, a dynamic centre where trade brought
ideas on alchemy, medicine and science together from across the globe.

Alchemy at
The Manchester Museum
Oxford Road
Manchester
M13 9PL
Tel: [44] 0161 275 8789
www.alchemy.man.ac.uk

-- 
Carsten Timmermann, PhD
Centre for the History of Science, Technology and Medicine
University of Manchester
Maths Building, Oxford Rd, Manchester M13 9PL, UK
Phone +44-(0)161-275 7950
Fax +44-(0)161-275 5699
Web http://www.chstm.man.ac.uk