Ships of Stone: The Islands of Mervyn Peake

About

'Ships of Stone: The Islands of Mervyn Peake' takes a new look at the work of the visionary artist, writer and illustrator by focusing on one of Peake's lifelong obsessions: islands. The exhibition uses audio recordings to bring Peake's writings alive alongside objects and artworks that span his career, many of which are on public display for the first time. Boundaries between real, imaginary and metaphorical islands are blurred in illustrations for Captain Slaughterboard Drops Anchor (1939) and Treasure Island (1949), paintings and drawings from his time on the Channel Island of Sark, and in his descriptions of the symbolic island of Gormenghast Castle, the setting of the novels for which he is best known.