BELL ACTIVITY

LIST AS MANY FAIRY TALES

OR FOLK STORIES AS
YOU CAN THINK OF
FOLKTALES & MYTHS
Folktales and myths are short stories that have been
handed down through generations.

Often, there will be an underlying message or moral to

the tale, which would discourage others from acting in a
certain way.

Whilst stories were handed down by word of mouth, a

great number of them have been used in illustrations,
books and designs.

The most famous examples are Disney films, often

deriving from classic tales and adapted to modern, child
friendly themes.
BROTHERS GRIMM
Perhaps the most famous fairy tales written were by the
Brothers Grimm. Their stories, such as Little Red Riding
Hood, Cinderella, Rapunzel and Hansel and Gretel have
been used thousands of times in books and film.

Whilst they are nowadays told in a bright manner, with

colourful illustrations, the original tales had gruesome
aspects, often left out by storytellers today.

Many artists and designers have used their tales to depict

their stories in their work. Perhaps the most famous is
printmaker Paula Rego.
KARA WALKER
Kara Walker is a contemporary artist and illustrator who
uses black silhouettes throughout her.

At first look, her work is bold and playful. However, her

stories tell powerful messages about American history
and slavery.

On closer look, her silhouettes are often gruesome. The

viewer is left to depict and tell the story themselves.
KARA WALKER
Discuss in pairs what you think may be happening in this image.
SILHOUETTE TASK
Using ONLY silhouettes, you are to narrate a folktale or
traditional story.

You can only use one A4 sheet of paper, so will need to

think carefully about what you include and where you
place it.

This may be completed as a digital or hand drawn task to

begin. Once completed, you should cut around your
silhouettes and stick them to a window.

Photograph the shadows your silhouettes create. You

could even take a video of the silhouettes and shadows
and narrate the story over the top.
SUGGESTED STORIES
Choose one of the suggest tales or stories from the list
below to illustrate through silhouettes:

The Beauty of Difference (Iran)

The Lion and the Jackal (South Africa)
The Boastful Turtle (Philippines)
The First Sunrise (Australia)
The Elephant Who Lost His Patience (India)
Friends Forever (Ghana)
Turtle and Monkey (Philippines)
The Magic Mirror (Spain)
The Island of the Sun (China)
The Lion with the Red Eyes (Somalia)
Icarus (Greek Mythology)
Medusa (Greek Mythology)
EXAMPLE 1 Hansel and Gretel
EXAMPLE 2 Medusa