Lockdown themed exhibition opens Old Operating Theatre Museum & Herb Garret in Southwark

A message in bottle is an ancient form of communication between faraway lands, writes Charles Harrison.

Now, it is the theme for the dynamic lockdown-themed exhibition in the Old Operating Theatre Museum & Herb Garret in Southwark.

Announced to celebrate the reopening of the museum, the exhibition consists of a collection of artworks, creative writings, photography, video and sculpture made by participants in online workshops by visual artist Charlie Murphy and writer Laurie Bolger.

More than 30 participants from across the UK and Europe have creatively recorded their experiences of lockdown, capturing the emotions, moments and rituals that have defined the last year of our lives.

Taking inspiration from the unusual and sometimes creepy artefacts and antidotes from the museum’s collection, pieces in the exhibition include an eerie projection of a woman in a mask, and rows of lockdown representations in medical bottles.

The exhibition has been put togetner by Charlie Murphy. It runs until July 26.