HORSES are hanging from the rafters in preparation for a new exhibition at the Oxford Playhouse next week.

Visitors to the theatre will be treated to “three dimensions of theatre”, a series of textiles, sculptures and costumes.

The exhibition is part of Oxfordshire Artweeks, the annual event showcasing the work of artists around the county.

Sculptor Alison Berman from Oxford created the Playhouse horses after visiting the theatre last year.

She said: “I came here last autumn and thought ‘I just love the huge beams at the theatre’.

“So I decided to create three pantomime horses to put there for this exhibition.”

Artist Heather Wright created a series of ‘a show-in-one-frame’ collages, telling the story of a play in one box.

She said: “I have created pieces for people of all ages, including pantomimes like Cinderella and Aladdin.

“The idea was to recreate those little icons and memories people have from the theatre.”

The free exhibition opens tomorrow and runs for a week from 10am until 7pm.

Last weekend artists teamed up with Oxfam, in High Street, Headington, to recreate a giant Rousseau jungle tiger from pieces of coloured paper.

Meanwhile, more than 500 free exhibitions have provided the backdrop for this year’s Artweeks event, which ends on May 30 in Oxford.

For three weeks, hundreds of people have enjoyed work by county painters and sculptors.

The festival was set up in 1981 and is Oxfordshire’s oldest and biggest open studio event. For more information log on at artweeks.org.