Hop, Skip and Jump to the Museum
Hopscotch a new exhibition of games will open at Marischal Museum next week (Monday, September 22). The exhibition will invite people not just to look, but also to take part - either by playing some of the games- or by sharing their memories of games. As Exhibition designer, Hilary Murray says, " in fact you could literally hopscotch your way into the exhibition!"
A mixture of photographs, memories and objects from the museum collections relate the history of some of our most common games - both street games and board games. Among the intriguing objects on display are marbles from Ancient Egypt - and a beautiful cribbage board carved of whale tusk by the Inuit and decorated with caribou and bison. The oldest objects in the exhibition will be two Ancient Egyptian gaming pieces, dated to c1400 BC. One of the pieces is in the shape of a cat. These may have been used for the board game Senet.
The exhibition tells some of the fascinating stories of how games have travelled around the world. Some have been carried in the backpacks of soldiers or travellers, others in the memory of slaves. We learn some games from parents or grandparents, others from friends at school, or in the street. "I can remember learning to play draughts from an old man who lived next door to us- I only need to see a draughts board and I can picture sitting at the table with him while his wife fed us biscuits and cake"
Among the games you can play in the museum will be the Roman game Tabula (an early form of backgammon) and Mancala - a game well known in African and Arab communities- and quite compulsive when you start playing it. The exhibition will appeal to young and old and is open throughout the October break to encourage children to bring parents and grandparents.
Hopscotch - an exhibition of games will be at Marischal Museum, Broad Street, Aberdeen 22 September - 7 November 2003 Free Entry: Monday - Friday 10 - 5 and Sunday 2 - 5
The exhibition will include recordings of personal recollections of games and may be suitable for radio, please contact Hilary Murray at the Museum to discuss on 01224 274305.