‘Archives can be anything’: New exhibition explores Croydon’s history
A new exhibition will explore Croydon’s heritage, with a unique take on how archives influence our understanding of history.
Croydon Archives is hosting, ‘Archives Can Be Anything’, at the Museum of Croydon in Croydon Clocktower, Katharine Street.
Now open and running until May 10, this free exhibition will feature creative work made by 10 young people aged between 14 and 18, called the Young Archivists.
The group received training in archiving, digital skills, research, project management, exhibition design and events planning over the last year. They also took part in creative workshops including writing, illustration, design, printmaking and collage.
As part of the project, they created artwork, zines, films, poetry and more, inspired by the borough’s archives.
This includes council documents on plans for redevelopment in the borough, newspaper articles, historic photographs and records of clubs, societies and community organisations.
One of the artworks features a comic depicting an alien landing in the borough, inspired by an article in the Croydon Advertiser from 1998 about UFO sightings in New Addington.
The comic asks the viewer to think about how the borough welcomes new arrivals into the community.
Elsewhere, colleges explore stories of race and racism found in Croydon Archives, to expose how certain stories have been under-represented in archival collections.
The exhibition has been funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF) and is part of the wider Dynamic Collections project, digitally transforming Croydon’s archives.
Jason Perry, Executive Mayor of Croydon, said: “This exhibition will showcase the creativity of our young residents. It also demonstrates our determination to help see our children and young people have every opportunity to thrive, learn and fulfil their potential by engaging in community projects.
“’Archives Can Be Anything’ shows how we can gain inspiration from the past, as we look towards our borough’s future.”
Pictured top: Young Archivists created artwork, zines, films and poetry inspired by the borough’s archives for the exhibition (Picture: Croydon council)