The Archives and Cornish Studies Service has launched a new exhibition of original art by local artist and illustrator Sue Lewington.

Real Lives: History, Memory, Imagination is on show at the Cornish Studies Library in Redruth until Friday, September 30. The exhibition features a range of paintings, books, collages, illustrations and much more, inspired by Cornwall’s archive collections.

It is a result of an artist in residence project where Sue spent time at both the Cornwall Record Office and the Cornish Studies Library gathering inspiration from both the buildings and collections. The resulting works represent a creative imagining of the spaces, and a range of pieces which are inspired by maps, photographs, school log books, diaries, letters, and the stories behind them. Sue has also captured the storage areas, spilling over with archive treasures, on both sites ahead of their move to Kresen Kernow, Cornwall’s new archive centre, in 2018.

Sue said: “I am excited by the beautiful books, the maps wrapped in linen bags, the boxes of letters, photos and mysteries. And running through them all are fascinating stories. I used items chosen from the archives to begin imaginary explorations, and through re-imagining the lives of and stories from the archive, I have come to consider my own too.”

Chloe Phillips, learning lead for the Archives and Cornish Studies Service, said: “We’ve been delighted to work with Sue, and have really enjoyed seeing how she has reinterpreted and been inspired by our collections. We hope this will be the start of a long and fruitful creative partnership.”

For more information about the exhibition, contact the Cornish Studies Library on 01209 216 760.