Sonia Overall is currently the Resident Armchair Artist at The Beaney in Canterbury. The magic lantern exhibition Stories in the Dark is open, and it’s my first chance to spend some time there. Lights dance on surfaces. Apparatus cranks and whines. There are shutter clicks and repetitions, sounds emerging like chants...
People living with dementia are being invited to get involved in free creative writing sessions taking place at the Beaney in Canterbury from mid-April. The Cabinet of Curiosities project, run by the city council’s Community Services team, is open to anyone living with dementia and aims to help them write...
Sonia Overall is currently the Resident Armchair Artist at The Beaney in Canterbury. One of the chief attractions of the armchair artist opportunity for me was meeting previous residents Jill Holder and Bob Lamoon. Their oversized homage to the rook in the red coat, exhibited in the Front Room, continues to...
In the 17th Century a device was invented to transform the projection of light into incredible shows which took people’s breath away. This device was the magic lantern. For many people it was the first time they saw projected moving images – what a spectacle it must have been! Aware...
Sonia Overall is currently the Resident Armchair Artist at The Beaney in Canterbury. The loudest message I receive from the Beaney Collection when I visit is: LOOK CLOSER. As a writer I am always playing with words and tuning in to text, so it’s no surprise that I’ve started to notice...
“I have a bad feeling about this” was definitely not something George Lucas said when he negotiated a salary reduction to direct Star Wars in order to retain a 100% profit on the merchandise rights. In fact, this proved to be one of the most lucrative decisions in movie merchandise history!...
Sonia Overall is currently the Resident Armchair Artist at The Beaney in Canterbury. Today I am drawn to the display of dolls houses and furniture in the Materials and Masters room. The bottom shelf of the cabinet is packed with household items, a bric-a-brac array of plates, serving dishes, cups, glasses,...
Why not try a romantic stroll around the Beaney! We have put together a handy guide for you to memorise, so while you gander around the galleries you can impress them with these amorous highlights… Venus Flower Basket Find me in: Materials & Masters Room, Upstairs Did you know this curious-looking object was...
Today is Pancake Day. It is a day in which four basic ingredients – eggs, flour, salt and milk – find expression in a glorious combination that accompanies celebrations all over the world. But Shrove Tuesday, also known as ‘Fat Tuesday’ in continental Europe, is more than simply gorging on carbs....
Sonia Overall is currently the Resident Armchair Artist at The Beaney in Canterbury. I’m a frequent visitor of the Beaney collections, often notebook in hand. On my first residency visit, I returned to some items that have caused me to pause, ponder and want to scribble: three small Anglo-Saxon gaming counters....
