The Owlman of Mawnan comes to roost at Falmouth Art Gallery

Ask three people in Mawnan what they saw and you might get three different owls. That is more or less the idea behind the new exhibition at Falmouth Art Gallery, where a modern Cornish myth is being rebuilt with games, projection and 3D scanning. And visitors get a say in how the story goes.

Myths of the Owl Creature opened last Saturday (7 November) and runs until Saturday 28 November. It takes its cue from the legend of the Owlman of Mawnan, and it won’t look the same at the end of its three-week run as it did on the first day.

📷Myths of the Owlman. Credit: Mawnan Research Mafia

The artists behind the owl

Artists Tom Milnes and Jess Pemberton have teamed up with musician Seamouse, working together as Mawnan Research Mafia. Their exhibition mixes interactive installation, projection, sound and 3D scanning with artworks from the Gallery’s own collection, blending local stories and digital technology with a bit of speculative world-building.

It’s the latest instalment of the Gallery’s Artist Takeover programme, which gives Cornwall-based artists and collectives the run of the space in Falmouth to try out new ideas and new ways of reaching audiences. The Gallery is owned and operated by Falmouth Town Council.

Donna Westlake, Access and Interpretation Manager at Falmouth Art Gallery, said: “We’re really excited to see how this exhibition develops and, importantly, how our visitors help to shape it. Rather than presenting a finished artwork, Myths of the Owl Creature invites people to get involved, experiment and contribute to something that will evolve over time.

“Participation is at the heart of this project: visitors aren’t simply observing the work, they’re helping to make it. It’s a wonderful opportunity to explore the Gallery as a place for creativity, curiosity and shared discovery.”

📷Birdwatcher character. Credit: Mawnan Research Mafia

Play as the Owl Creature

At the centre of it all is an interactive game world called (What’s The Story) Mawnan Glory?. Players take control of the owl being and roam the parish of Mawnan, bumping into local characters who each have their own tale of meeting the creature.

But the stories don’t stay put. Details get muddled, anecdotes shift and conflicting versions start to appear. The game’s generative story engine creates fresh versions of the myth depending on how players interact with the characters, so no two playthroughs tell quite the same tale.

It’s a playful look at how stories are formed, shared and bent out of shape. Mawnan Research Mafia draws a line between that and the way AI systems generate their own narratives through hallucinations and misinformation, asking visitors to think about how myths are born and how they keep changing.

📷Schoolgirl character. Credit: Mawnan Research Mafia

How to get involved

Workshops and events through the run let visitors add to the exhibition through drawing, collage, digital technology and storytelling.

Exquisite Owl 3D, this Saturday (14 November)

A free drop-in workshop from 1pm to 4pm, showing how Mawnan Research Mafia created the characters for their game. Using drawing, collage and digital 3D technology, participants will work together to invent their own owl creatures with the Exquisite Corpse technique, then see how their creations can become animated 3D characters.

Owl Creature Closing Party, Saturday 28 November

The exhibition finishes with a free drop-in evening from 4pm to 8pm, with interactive displays, live music and performances. A special version of (What’s The Story) Mawnan Glory? will use body-tracking technology, so visitors can control the game with their own movements and become the Owl Creature themselves.

Live music on the night comes from S!TDHA, Seamouse and Carr!e.

📷Fisherman character. Credit: Mawnan Research Mafia

📷Mawnan Research Mafia. Credit: Mawnan Research Mafia