Tell Us a Story

Commissioned by The Wilson Art Gallery & Museum for Paula Rego: Visions of English Literature

This is an interactive installation designed to complement the illustrations and prints of the artist Paula Rego, displayed in the exhibition Paula Rego: Visions of English Literature from 30th January to 10th May 2026.

This exhibition takes place on the second and third floors of The Wilson Art Gallery. On the second floor are Paula Rego’s original hand-coloured etchings of her nursery rhyme illustrations. A few examples of the works: Humpty Dumpty, Old King Cole, Old Mother Hubbard 1 & 2, Old Mother Goose, and How Many Miles to Babylon? On the third floor, the exhibition continues with Rego’s etchings and watercolour illustrations for Peter Pan and her lithograph prints and watercolour sketches of scenes from Jane Eyre.

Also on the third floor, in the Engagement Area (which is separated by glass walls and doors) contains my work ‘Tell Us a Story’. In this room, two tables and benches are arranged in front of a large-scale print of Rego’s ‘The Neverland’ which covers the entire back wall. On the left table is ‘Tell Us a Story’. This is a 2D textile piece made from woven cotton using applique and free motion machine embroidery. On the right table are pencils and paper for visitors to use. The far-left wall is set up in a way in which people can hang and display their drawings made in this room. To the right of the door to the Engagement Area is a plinth displaying under glass my initial sketches for this project and some of the templates I used to create the work while sewing.

“Tell us a story” is a dynamic installation, designed to be engaging to all ages. The background is like an open book fixed to a table, with only one moving page. Turning the page changes the piece from a day scene to a night scene. There are twenty movable pieces, sixteen of which have a colourful side, corelating to the day scene, and a greyscale side, corelating to the night scene. Four human figures have one side which is colourful, and a side which is plain black fabric.

I included both the colourful sides and the grayscale sides as a reference to the colours used in Rego’s illustrations. Rego’s use of colour has always been something which stood out to me in her paintings, so seeing her work in a more limited colour pallet, and sometimes in black and white only, made me want to celebrate how expertly she is able to convey narrative in the compositions she makes with or without colour.

Listed below are each piece and their different sides. Their colourful side written on the left and the greyscale side on the right.

Lighthouse / Tower
Green and brown tree with yellow fruit / White and grey tree with red fruit
House exterior / Interior
Sun / Moon
2 large clouds, White / Dark grey and White / Light grey
2 small clouds, White / Dark grey and White / Light grey
Brown cow / Black and white cow
Grey goose / White goose
Black cat / White cat
Yellow dog / Grey dog
Yellow Guitar / Grey Guitar
Blue drum / Red drum
Yellow hat / Red hat
Grey top hat / Black top hat
Woman in blue dress
Man in sweater vest
Girl in red dress
Boy in yellow top

With this installation, the public are encouraged to handle and rearrange the figures and set pieces to create a scene of their own, which they can then draw from using the paper and pencils provided. This engages with with Paula Rego’s work and artistic process in a hands-on way, as she was known to use handmade dolls and staged tableaux to use as a reference when working.

Some of the characters were made as a direct reference to her illustrations featured in Paula Rego: Visions of English Literature. The woman’s blue dress is based on Jane Eyres dress in ‘Come to Me’, the cats pose is from ‘Hey Diddle Diddle’ and the dog is from ‘Old Mother Hubbard 2’. Other pieces include personal references, the white cat is based on my childhood cat Belle, the black and white cow is based on the breed Belted Galloway which can be found in the local countryside surrounding Cheltenham.

By including the shift from colour to greyscale, I also endeavoured to evoke the dark themes and hints that nothing is as it seems which are present in Rego’s work. The act of play and turning something over was very important to me in the outcome of this piece. The participants can turn the page of the fabric book and create a scene of their own. The act of turning over the pieces also limited how many pieces there were to work with for the viewer, which adds a limitation which I think benefits the experience. They are forced to work with the compromise, and in turn use their imagination to fill in the missing pieces. What I have noticed when looking at the drawings made from the installation is that there’s so much which is added by the viewer, rarely people stop at just drawing from my work, this is my favourite part.

The risk with a public installation aimed at all ages is in the uncertainty as to whether anyone will participate and, if they do, will the way they participate be additive or destructive? Will they reject the proposed instruction of drawing in public (an often-feared activity by non-artists and artists alike)? As it transpired, in the case of ‘Tell Us a Story’ the work was met with an unquestionably wholesome reaction, and an ever-growing collection of drawings made from mine and Rego’s work. I find this fascinating as in my experience working in art groups, people are often stuck as to what to draw, and the idea of using their imagination to invent something new or not visible leaves them more stuck and unable to work. However, with the help of some simple, archetypical prompts, they are able to build something exciting and unexpected.

This project has taught me so much about returning to simplicity; the return to childhood in the form of bedtime stories and imaginative play. The simple joy of a sun and moon with faces, dancing dogs and cats and little houses with a single paned window. I thought I was including these for the sake of the children who may be creating drawings from my work, but from the age ranges of people who are engaging with the installation, and Paula Rego herself, it’s clear to me that these ‘childish’ things will always bring us comfort, and spark our imaginations.