Bronte birthday celebrations begin with new exhibition at South Square Gallery, Thornton

This summer marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of Wuthering Heights author Emily Bronte, and the celebrations will start in Thornton tomorrow night.

South Square Gallery, just a few minutes’ walk from the author’s birthplace, is holding a birthday party to celebrate the author tomorrow.

The event will also mark the opening of its latest exhibition Of Real Worlds, which features multi sensory work by local artists as well as pupils from Thornton’s schools.

Thornton-based artist Lucy Barker has worked with schools to explore Emily Brontë’s literary works, with pupils learning about the history of Emily’s family.

Students at Thornton Primary School created stop motion animation pieces based on the lives of Emily and her sisters.

And pupils from years 8 and 9 at Beckfoot Thornton have created collages out of her poetry and writings.

The new exhibition will include an immersive projection, inspired by the moors and natural landscapes that inspired Emily Bronte.

There will also be projections of the work the pupils made in their workshops and 3D pieces of art.

Alice Withers from South Square said: “We hope these events will help make the anniversary a milestone for the village. It is good Thornton is becoming more well known as the Bronte’s birthplace now.”

South Square held a similar exhibition to remember Charlotte Bronte on the 200th anniversary of her birth in 2016.

Tomorrow’s party will run from 6-10pm and feature live music, cocktails, art exhibitions, activities, DJ’s, a “Wuthering Heights participatory dance challenge” and techno soundscapes. Adrena Adrena will be backing up their artistic spherical projections with live drumming while Becky Marshall will be performing a techno soundscape inspired Emily’s works. And dance artist Daliah Touré will be taking part in a participatory dance performance inspired by the Kate Bush song Wuthering Heights.

The exhibition will run until July 27.