Oline Cogdill
agathachristiehotel_exhibit
Time is nearing but if you are planning a trip to Great Britain soon, consider a stop at Burgh Island Hotel located in Bigbury-on-Sea in Devon, England.

Why the rush to England?

Because a private exhibit on Agatha Christie ends on Sept. 24. Admittedly, this exhibit began in July but we just found out about it.

While it may be too late for many of us to contact our travel agents—does anyone still have a travel agent?—think about next year because the property looks amazing.

A collection of playful and theatrical collages will be on display at the Burgh Island Hotel to coincide with this year’s Agatha Christie Festival.

Agatha Christie, a life of ladders and snakes” is a series of 10 images capturing some of the key moments in the life of the queen of crime. The pieces were originally created for the Agatha Christie Festival in September 2010, which celebrated the crime writer’s 120 years since her birth.

OK, first, I didn’t know there was an Agatha Christie Festival in Devon, but I can’t say I am surprised.

This year’s festival began on Sept. 15 and runs through Sept. 22 (see what I mean about the timing). But there will be one next year. All the details are here.

And it sounds like a lot of fun.

According to the website, “Each year, the English Riviera transforms itself into the murder mystery capital of the country, with ladies and gents in their period finery immersing themselves in tea parties, theatre, dinners on steam trains and vintage bus tours. Why? For the annual award-winning Agatha Christie Festival in honour of the Queen of Crime, who was born in Torquay in 1890.”

The collages document the ups and downs of Christie’s life. Since their creation, the collages have been exhibited at Torre Abbey, Greenway National Trust, London’s Science Museum and various art fairs throughout London.

During 2012, the collection traveled around American art fairs, including a stop in the Empire State Building for a pop-up exhibition entitled “Art at the Top.”

A new piece “Daydreaming” was added to the collection, which includes a number of suspects, victims, witnesses and murderers and is a fictional cocktail party from the 1920’s that could have inspired the author’s storytelling.

Two additional pieces, based on the novels And Then There Were None and Evil Under The Sun written while Christie was on holiday at the hotel, have been launched at the Burgh Island exhibition.

There’s always next year.

Photo: Sunworshipper from the collage collection
; notice the reference to Evil Under the Sun in the lower right hand corner.  photo courtesy Tracy Satchwill

agatha-christie-festival
3287