seven stories

Internationally acclaimed author and illustrator Shaun Tan visited Seven Stories on Wed 24 Aug for an exclusive event.

This event was an exclusive chance for adults and young people of the North East to meet Shaun, who discussed his work and influences along with the making of the short-animated film of The Lost Thing for which he won an Oscar.

Shaun is best known for illustrated books which deal with social, political and historical subjects though surreal and dream-like imagery. Books such as The Rabbits, The Red Tree, The Lost Thing and the acclaimed wordless novel The Arrival have enjoyed by international readers of all ages. Shaun has also worked as a theatre designer and worked as a concept designer for the films Horton Hears a Who and WALL-E.

Fans travelled from across the country to meet Shaun and hear him speak in one of his only European events. Speaking about the event one fan said, “I was really excited to find out that Shaun Tan was visiting Seven Stories, as a Primary School teacher I have used Shaun’s work a lot in the classroom, I find it so inspiring and has made a lot of my boys interested in writing. I have driven quite a long way to be here today and I have to say that they whole event was brilliant, it has really inspired me to become a little bit more creative myself.”

Another fan added, “I loved hearing about his process, I am in the 3rd year of an illustration course so I thought it was really important to come. I like the way that he illustrates something in such an unpredictable way and that makes it such a surprise when you come to look at the words and illustrations together. I loved the event it was really interesting and I was very excited to come here today.”

Shaun was born in Freemantle, Western Australia in 1974 and grew up in the suburbs of Perth, something which has influenced his work in a big way. His career began with painting images for science fiction and horror stories and in 2010 he was the guest of honour at the 68th World Science Fiction Convention held in Melbourne, Perth.

This was Shaun’s first visit to Seven Stories and he was met with a rapturous response from both visitors and staff. He is a keen advocate of the importance of children’s literature and after his event he said, “I think somewhere like Seven Stories is important to elevate the status of children’s literature above the average consumer product, as something that is important, not just for kids but for society as a whole. It is important to actually make people focus on the amount of attention which goes into the creation of books that maybe people don’t usually realise. The way the different aspects of literature inter-relate, the whole culture of children’s literature is a singular, it is not a collection of random things, it is all connected by a common ideology and aesthetic and records what is happening at a particular moment in time, movements and developments in society.”

Shaun talked humorously and passionately about his life as an illustrator, showing artwork which spanned from his early life, right through to his first works as a professional illustrator. The audience was full of questions ranging from questions about illustration technique to queries about how Shaun gets inspiration and how he feels about his international success.

Asked how he feels about the response his work gets, he replied, “I always get a very positive response to my work but I like that there is often an element of puzzlement and rather than that creating boredom it creates further intrigue. People from really different backgrounds get into the books which always really surprises me, when I do an event, the audience is always extremely diverse, more so over the years. Everybody from really young kids to extremely elderly people get a lot out of my books and also a lot of people who don’t read English as a first language, which I find really interesting.

Seven Stories was thrilled and honoured to host this event and hopes that this will be the first of many. Shaun’s fans span worldwide, and with his UK events being a rare treat, the event was recorded for anyone who could not make it on the day. Click here to view the film.

This was the last of the adult events this season, which also included an adult Illustration Master Class with Jane Ray and Adult Tours of the building which include an exclusive ‘white glove session’ with Seven Stories collection of original artwork and manuscripts. Next season is set to be just as exciting for adults, and the rest of the family, click here to be the first to hear about our autumn and winter programme.