Kresen Kernow, the public interface to Cornwall’s archives.

It’s an interesting type of collection and one which the public does not generally visit - it’s not a museum... or a library... not even a visitor centre for an archive. Access to archives has changed. Where material was often managed and packaged for public consumption by academics and publishers, we’re now used to getting access to real data; directly or online, via TV, radio and the popular press. And yet, public consultation showed that most people have never visited an archive as they simply don’t think it is relevant to them.

We challenged this view and designed a facility which is more than a storage space for material, and more than a set of services for passively consuming its collections. Instead, through a variety of displays it provides an opportunity for the community not just to experience the archive, but to be involved in the presentation of Cornwall’s stories, helping shape active new roles for archives in the 21st century.

As well as producing the buildings wayfinding, we continue to work with Kresen Kernow on a rolling program of exhibitions and communications.