The annual Chinese New Year celebrations at The Potteries Museum and Art Gallery always start with a bang! The loud crackle of firecrackers ending any chances of a quiet Sunday lie in if you live within a mile of the venue.
This is a hugely popular event, it’s free and draws crowds of young families from across the area. I first became aware of it during Stoke-on-Trent’s bid to become City of Culture. Attending the previous years of the Rooster and the Pig gave me a fairly good idea of the best places to stand outside for my photographs and the type of images I was looking for. Upon arrival it became quickly obvious that the Year of the Rat was going to be different. Mother nature had other ideas and the heavens opened, the persistent rain forcing all the dances to take place in the museum foyer.
An occasion like this is vibrant and noisy, a spectacular event in the city’s calendar. Offering a taste of another culture and traditions, while bringing the museum to life. Introducing a new generation to a treasure trove of art, history and culture on their doorstep.
Dragon dancers, lion and unicorn dances, drumming and kung fu demonstrations alongside theatre and circus workshops all contribute to a real life experience in a world where so much is witnessed only via a small screen.
There is plenty of subject matter to photograph, if I could only move to see it properly. The museum is bursting at the seams with visitors. Small children are hoisted onto their Dad’s shoulders to get a better view. Unfortunately, this isn’t an option for me, and I’m starting to wonder if I’ll be able to produce any images from the day when this scene presented itself.
A Twist in the Year of the Rat’s Tale
Away from the bright costume and dynamism of the other performances, a young lady elegantly wearing a long red dress was playing beautiful, serene Guzheng music on a zither; a type of Chinese harp. Fully immersed in the melodies and the moment, this was an oasis of calm in the middle of the bustle. It was a pleasure to sit and listen. She explained afterwards that she found playing the instrument very therapeutic.
While you can’t really convey this in a photograph, she had been positioned near to the entrance of a gallery with an exhibition about the Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of Mercia, containing artefacts from the Staffordshire Hoard. Behind her was a giant mural of an Anglo-Saxon Warrior King galloping on horseback. It was the contrast in these two cultural elements combining with humorous coincidence which caught my eye. Demonstrating that you can never be sure how the day will go and that the unexpected is usually the most interesting.
However, I am hoping that 2021’s Year of the Ox celebrations will be less soggy!
Jacob Broadhurst 