West By East.

26 May-25 September 2005. This exhibition looks at the view of Westerners, Europeans in particular, as seen from the Islamic East in days gone by and the present. In the late 1800s and early 1900s many Western artists sought inspiration from the East, which led to a romanticised view of the East by the West, encapsulated in Edward Saids book Orientalism. This exhibition shows the reverse side of the coin focusing on the views of the West in the Islamic world from various periods. The exhibits range from maps, miniatures and paintings to films, comics, school books and television programmes. They are structured in seven different displays or sequences that compare and contrast historical and contemporary views in an attempt to understand the complexities of the Islamic worlds widely diverging take on the West. These sequences include A Description of Europe, Diversity in Similarity, Painting the West, The Desire for Westernisation, The Modernisation of Islamic Societies and The Journey West. Entry costs 4.40 (Concession 3.30, free for under16s).

Open Tue-Sat 11.00-20.00 (Sun 11.00-15.00)