Debby Lewis Harrison

Tag Archive: old mother hubbard

  1. Personal Project

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    It has always struck me as odd that nursery rhymes are told to children as a means to soothe and calm when the meaning behind the words tend to be sinister, eerie and often misunderstood. In this project I have revisited 5 nursery rhymes and through lighting and props have given them a malevolent feel rather than the pleasantly illustrated ones of our childhood. The full project can be viewed here: http://www.debbylewisharrison.com/projects/nursery-rhymes/

    Ring a Ring o’ Roses – often mistaken for being about the black death the origins and meaning are unknown

    The Owl and the Pussycat – although this is a poem and not a nursery rhyme it has quite an odd feel to it despite being a poem essentially about love

    Humpty Dumpty – some people think Humpty Dumpty refers to a large cannon used during the English civil war

    Old Mother Hubbard – refers to Cardinal Thomas Wolsey who fell out of favour with King Henry VIII by not facilitating the Kings divorce from Queen Katherine of Aragon

    Three Blind Mice – mainly thought to be about the bloody execution of 3 Protestant bishops by the hands of Queen Mary I

    Styling: Nina Beresford