THE Polar Museum is presenting a contemporary exhibition inspired by the Hans Christian Andersen fairytale The Snow Queen.

Created by textile artist Lindsey Holmes and poet Kaddy Benyon, the ‘The Snow Queen Retold’ exhibition runs at the Cambridge venue from Friday (August 16) to Saturday August 31.

Benyon, who is currently Invited Poet at the Scott Polar Research Institute, has created a series of poems based on the traditional tale of two children, Gerda and Kay, overcoming the Snow Queen’s wicked ability to bring coldness to other’s hearts.

In response to the poetry, Holmes, a costumier, curator and artist for over 10 years, has created a 3D Story Den that encourages visitors to encounter elements of the story re-told though objects, textures and words.

Made of fabric, the Story Den is an igloo, a dress and an interactive narrative that children (and adults) can crawl through, explore and create stories within.

Benyon says of the process: “From the beginning of our collaboration, we thought an exciting way to experience the rich symbolism of The Snow Queen would be through a story den.

“We wanted to create an interactive space where children could explore the fairy tale for themselves whilst also having a personal experience of Gerda’s journey.”

The exhibition also includes an activity day on Tuesday August 27 (10.30am–3.30pm) where families can attend drop-in sessions throughout the day to explore the themes of the story and discover the 3D story den fully.