Final year project shares story of the Penwortham Pixie Funeral
A University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) student has used her final year project to breathe life into an urban legend which originated in Preston in the 1800s.
Preston mum-of-three Rebecca Robinson based her work, titled the Penwortham Pixie Funeral, on the famous folklore tale as part of her degree in animation.
The story first appeared in James Bowker’s ‘Goblin Tales of Lancashire’ in 1878, which told of an encounter two men had with a fairy funeral procession during a late night walk home through Penwortham.
When one of the men looked into the coffin and saw a miniature version of himself, it soon led to his own death and subsequent burial in the same graveyard in which he’d witnessed the fairy funeral.
The mixed media project saw Rebecca combining CGI pixie characters, live action footage and green screen technology to tell the story, along with photography she took of the path in Penwortham where it’s said the legendary encounter took place.
"I’ve loved studying at UCLan, the tutors have been fantastic and the connections and opportunities that have been made available to me have been amazing."
Mature student Rebecca previously worked as a healthcare assistant at Preston Hospital, after a period spent working in community health. But it was a passion for all things creative that led her to embark upon a degree at UCLan and a change of profession.
Rebecca said: “I’ve always been creative and was really keen to pursue a new career in this field. I fell in love with the animation course at a UCLan open day and it went from there. Being from Preston myself, the location was a major benefit but it’s also been a lot of fun.
“I’ve been lucky to complete two work placements during my studies with local gaming companies and I’ve also had the chance to work with a Masters’ student on a project which has been brilliant.
“I’ve loved studying at UCLan, the tutors have been fantastic and the connections and opportunities that have been made available to me have been amazing.”
After graduation, Rebecca hopes to use her new skills and experience to secure employment within the gaming industry.
Rebecca’s work will be on display at UCLan’s Preston campus from 14-23 June as part of the University’s Degree Shows, a showcase of the work of more than 450 final year undergraduate students across a variety of disciplines within the Faculty of Culture and the Creative Industries.
The Degree Shows are open daily with work on display in five buildings. More information is available on the UCLan Degree Shows website – and people can also keep up with events by following #UCLanDegreeShows on Twitter. For more information, email uclandegreeshows@uclan.ac.uk.