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Telling Tales: Making Stories Come to Life 

13 June to 9 November 2025 

Experience the joy and wonder of storytelling through the Oriental Museum’s summer exhibition, Telling Tales Making Stories Come to Life.

title of exhibition and drawings of range of Asian objects

Visitors of all ages were invited to explore the many ways in which stories can be told. A diverse and exciting collection of storytelling artefacts, including shadow puppets, theatre costumes, folk instruments, anime cels, movie posters, and more from various cultures and time periods showcased the universality of telling tales. 
Visitors learned the different methods there are to tell stories, experiencing the exhibition in their own way, through written guides, audio recordings, the digital screen or the museum-wide trail designed specifically for young learners. They were invited to step into the role of a storyteller themselves and learn how to create shadow stories on the wall, see their reflection wearing the face paint of a Peking Opera actor and sharing their favourite story or drawing their favourite character to stick on the story wall. 

This exhibition was curated by students studying for the MA in Museum and Artefact Studies at Durham University.  

This exhibition was accompanied by an online exhibition which you can still enjoy:  Show and Tell: Stories that Connect Us