The Magic of the Silver Swan

The Silver Swan, 18th century, The Bowes Museum.

Discover the extraordinary at The Bowes Museum through their landmark exhibition of 2023, which celebrates the 250th anniversary of the Museum’s most iconic object alongside the beauty and artistry of automata. The Silver Swan was first recorded in 1774, and was created by the inventor John Joseph Merlin and the jeweller James Cox.

With inventiveness and playfulness at its core, the exhibition features objects, artefacts and artworks from their collection, in addition to moving objects and images and kinetic artworks by artists, makers, designers and inventors.

Part of the Museum’s year of Movement, you can see work by contemporary artists including the Turner Prize nominated Yinka Shonibare CBE,  North East based Helen Pailing and Kinnari Saraiya, Tobias Bradford, Bruce Lacey, Rebecca Moss, Martin Smith and Cabaret Mechanical Theatre.

The Magic of the Silver Swan includes loans from national and international institutions such as: The British Museum; Science Museum; The National Archives; Bodleian Library; Victoria Art Gallery; Kenwood House and Guildhall Library, as well as from private collections.

This is a celebration of automata, clockwork machines, our enduring fascination with mechanical devices, and how we can explore art through technology.

The exhibition is running until 7th January 2024, here is a link to purchase tickets.