Over the last year or so I have been getting into the films of Wes Anderson, the film director with a very distinct style. His films often have a very large cast, the same individuals appear repeatedly (Bill Murry and Owen Wilson for example) and they have a very distinct visual aesthetic. They often make use of symmetry and pastel shades in a way that you do not see with other directors. In tone, Anderson’s films are quirky, offbeat and I, on the whole, enjoy them.
It seems that I am very much not alone in this as he has a cult following including the Accidentally Wes Anderson Instagram account which posts pictures from around the world evoking a feeling of being in an Anderson film.
And now the Wes Anderson world has expanded to include an exhibition of photos that originally appeared on the Instagram account.
The Exhibition
As we were in Central London anyway for a couple of musicals related events it seemed daft not to visit Accidently Wes Anderson, The Exhibition.
Given that it was a chilly Wednesday lunchtime in January and I had assumed it would be a reasonably niche event the first thing that surprised me was just how well attended it was. Next was just how well thought out the exhibition itself was.
There were six or seven themed rooms each housing a selection of, what I am now going to start referring to as AWA, images in various sizes. Each room was a different striking colour and between the rooms, there was some sort of what I am struggling not to call a thing! In one there was a curtain you went through and another, as you can see above, an exotic entrance. These all added to the experience as did the two places where a tripod had been set up allowing you to take pictures of yourself in an Andersonesque setting.
It reignited in me a desire to get out and take more interesting pictures. Many of the images on display had been taken on high-end DSLRs and others had clearly been set up but equally, others had also been taken on the humble iPhone so there is hope for me yet.
As with all exhibitions, it is a given that you exit via the gift shop and AWA was no different except that it had only three items available: the book of the AWA account, a jigsaw and some postcards!
All in all a great exhibition which any Wes Anderson fan should check out.
