Rumble Museum's Forbidden Forest Mural brings Oxford Fantasy, Sci-Fi and Greek Myth to Life

Have you heard about the magnificient new mural, The Forbidden Forest, in our library yet?

Replacing display cabinets previously housing the Rumble Museum collections, the mural depicts a highly detailed fantasy forest scene, drawing inspiration from the Rumble Museum’s wide collection of speculative fiction and classical works, which will be on display in cabinets next to the mural soon.

The initial mural idea by Rumble Director, Dr Lorna Robinson, was for a black-and-white forest, reminiscent of an old fairy tale book illustration, filled with characters and objects from the collection in colour.

The concept was brought to life with a highly detailed, and striking design by Milton Keynes-based artist and designer Luke McDonnell. Working intensively over the half-term break, McDonnell created a stunning, intricate work of art. Luke used pen and ink on a massive scale to render a detailed, book illustration effect, with a mysterious, wrap-around design that suggests the forest is creeping around corners.

A Visual Celebration of Literature

The mural features characters from well-known fantasy Oxford authors such as Tolkien's Gollum and Pullman's Lyra. It also features a character from C.S. Lewis' Out Of The Silent Planet and a dragon from Katherine Rundell's Impossible Creatures, as well as a hawk from Kiran Millwood Hargrave’s In The Shadow Of The Wolf Queen. 

A Handmaid from Margaret Atwood's Handmaid's Tale sits next to a Sandman from the dystopian novel Logan's Run, and Daphne from ancient Greek myth is seen encased in bark. There is a pegasus, also from Greek myth, and a leopard from Chris Beckett's Dark Eden. Objects such as the Auryn from The Neverending Story can also be seen. 

The new artwork is already inspiring students and staff. School Librarian Mrs. Fenton commented:

"The students’ reactions on the first day back were overwhelmingly positive - everyone was in awe of the skill of the artist and lots of students tried to identify all of the characters. The summer refurbishments already made the library a much lighter, more modern, and spacious area, but the mural is absolutely the focal point—it's truly stunning. It’s exactly the kind of inspiration we need to encourage students to dive into the worlds of fantasy and classic literature."

Nivriti, in year 8 said:

"It's really cool. I can't believe 1 person did all of this in 1 week."

Arno in year 8 commented:

"I love it! It's really impressive. My favourite character is Lyra."

The Rumble Museum is intending to hold an official launch event in the New Year, but in the meantime, students, staff, and visitors are able to enjoy the mural in the recently refurbished library.