Location: Durham Masonic Hall, 36 Old Elvet
Chaos out of mystery.
One of Durham’s most secret buildings comes alive during Lumiere. Built in 1870, and nestled up against the city’s oldest pub, the striking façade of Durham’s Masonic Hall conceals a world of history within. Multi-media artist Emma Allen returns to the city to create some colourful chaos on the building’s exterior with a cast of animated characters who tumble, climb and paint across this historic structure.
About Emma Allen
Emma Allen is an award-winning multidisciplinary artist, body painter and animator. She’s best known for her body-paint animation work which has exhibited all over the world, received millions of views online, and press coverage in print and online and featured as TV news stories in over 17 countries. Her work manages to combine critical acclaim with mainstream appeal, attracting audiences around the world. For Lumiere 2023, her artwork marks a shift in her animation technique combining stop motion with projection mapping.
Allen’s work has been used across charities and she has worked with refugees and prisoners as well as founded her own arts charity for disadvantaged children in Sri Lanka.
She also works with brands and private clients creating bespoke hand-painted products ranging from accessories to large sculptures, installations, animation, and body-painted people for events.
Image credit: Durham Masonic Hall. Photo courtesy of the artist