An eerie historic fairground attraction showing the terrifying side effects of taking opium is on display at a new interactive exhibition in Brighton.
Part of a hard-hitting interactive experience exposing the reality of the tea trade through history in Brighton’s Preston Manor, the Opium Dream Machine was originally on Brighton Palace Pier as entertainment.
Shadows of Empire: Taking Tea at Preston Manor explores the reality of our favourite cuppa and reveals a shocking dark side including exploitation of workers, theft and links to the nineteenth century opium drug wars.
Using the historic setting of Preston Manor, an elegant manor house, visitors will experience the smells and sounds of a journey from England through the docks of China to an opium den.
It has been created by the Culture Change team in Brighton & Hove Museums, set up to decolonise the work of the organisation to be more socially just and to tell all histories – and not just from a white, western perspective.
The Opium Dream Machine features a historical stereotypical representation of Chinese people either in China or any of the Chinatowns that had developed in Britain and the United States. A clockwork figure smokes from an opium pipe and falls into a dream. The machine then shows doors opening and terrifying characters appear from cupboards and doors.
The portrayal of Chinese figures smoking opium in this ‘Dream Machine’ reflects the prevailing racist attitudes and perceptions which continued to linger from the era of the Opium Wars.
By depicting those who used opium as Chinese people, the ‘Dream Machine’ also ignored the fact that opiates were widely used in Britain and were easily available to buy over the counter for household consumption in Edwardian times.
Well-known automata maker Vincent Canova from Birmingham made the machine in the 1930s-1940s and it was acquired in 1973 as part of the Local History Collection at Brighton Museum & Art Gallery.
Joint Head of Culture Change Simone LaCorbinière said: “This machine is a shocking example of how harmful, racist stereotypes casually littered our public spaces.
“It’s quite an offensive machine. But there’s no point hiding it away and pretending it never existed. The truth is, not so long ago this was deemed to be totally acceptable, family entertainment.
“It’s a fascinating object, beautiful in some ways, horrifying in others. It challenges us to question how much we are still perpetuating racist stereotypes in our entertainment, albeit not so obviously.”
ENDS
An online exhibition providing more information will be available on our website.
For a selection of images from the Brighton & Hove Museums collection visit this Dropbox.
Shadows of Empire: Taking Tea at Preston Manor
Saturdays & Sundays until 27 October
Slots available between 11am & 4pm
Admission: £20 (the ticket price includes a souvenir guide and a cup of tea) members £15, book in advance. Age 12+
Please note: this exhibition deals with adult themes, including addiction.
To book tickets visit Brighton & Hove Museums website.
