Croydon Archives is hosting a new exhibition called Archives Can Be Anything, at the Museum of Croydon in Croydon Clocktower. It will share young people’s unique perspectives on the borough’s heritage.

Running from 26 February to 10 May, this free exhibition will feature creative work made by 10 local young people aged 14-18, called the Young Archivists.

It is funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund and is part of the wider Dynamic Collections project, digitally transforming Croydon’s archives and celebrating its legacy as London Borough of Culture 2023.

The Young Archivists 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 (fan magazines), films, poetry and more – both individually and collaboratively, inspired by the borough’s archives. This includes Council documents on plans for redevelopment in Croydon, local newspaper articles, historic photographs and records of local clubs, societies and community organisations.

One of the artworks features a comic depicting an alien landing in the borough, inspired by a local paper’s article about UFO sightings in New Addington. The comic asks the visitor to think about how the borough welcomes new arrivals into the community.

Another artwork is a mixed-media portrait of an important figure in the history of Croydon’s Global Majority population. It is collaged with stories of race and racism found in Croydon Archives, to highlight how certain stories have been under-represented in archival collections.

The exhibition also features an illustrated manifesto, inspired by maps in the archives. This collaborative project visualises an alternative youth-led vision of the borough, and shows its creators’ hopes for its future.

Young Archivist and student Randal, 19, said: “I was inspired by this one piece from 1998 from the Croydon Advertiser, which was an interview about supposed UFO sightings in New Addington. I was looking at what it would be like if there were aliens that had been attracted to Croydon.”

Randal explored different perspectives of how people see the area, adding that the project had shown them that: “everyone in Croydon stands together – it’s really diverse, and anyone can really fit in with one another”.

“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.”

Jason Perry, Executive Mayor of Croydon