Covent Garden’s Theatre Museum is hosting an exhibition of the extraordinary Sharmanka performing sculptures of Eduard Berudsky, enacting folk tales from the artist’s native Russian culture.

When one, Noah’s Ark (pictured above), was installed in the foyer of the National Theatre last Christmas, it amazed and beguiled audiences, including me, with the collision of the mechanical and the macabre, the inanimate metal coming to life with movement and music.

The Tower of Babel - detail

Berudsky, who first started creating these massive pieces in St Petersburg in 1990 and has subsequently been based in Glasgow, will present some of his most famous sculptures, including The Tower of Babel and The Big Organ Grinder, as well as two works especially created for the Theatre Museum.

The Big Organ Grinder - detail

The sculptures will come to life at regular intervals throughout the day. The exhibition runs from 16 July 2002 to 23 February 2003.

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