Adversaries become Allies

New, Found Treasures at the National Museum of the Royal Navy Wednesday 6 July to Friday 30 December In an exciting new collaboration between the National Museum of the Royal Navy (NMRN) and nine artists, New, Found Treasures is an exhibition presenting new works interspersed with treasures found in the museum. The artworks are to celebrate 100 years of collecting and will encourage visitors to engage with the collections in ways they may never have done before. Professional artists and master craftsmen exhibit new treasures inspired by the NMRN collections. The nine artists (Linda Baker, Anita Bruce, Jan Byrne, Zannah Cooper, Mel Day, Sandra Hurll, Julieanne Long, Batool Showghi and Helen Snell) will reinterpret the collections exploring themes of courage, hardship, remembrance, love, freedom and reconciliation. From fine art ceramics to laser cut models, wire sculptures, mixed media photography art books and textiles, New, Found Treasures will showcase the collections as an on-going, ever-changing source of inspiration. To gain inspiration for their artworks these newly commissioned artists each spent time visiting the museum galleries and researching the collections. The sources of their creativity are diverse, varying from caricatures, diaries, photographs, uniforms, maps and charts to a prisoner of war’s log book, ship models and a sea chest. Helen Snell’s laser-cut flotilla is inspired by the hand-coloured etchings of Gilray and Cruikshank in the museum’s archives, portraying the subversive humour of navy culture. It is exhibited under the oil painting of 'The Battle of Trafalgar' by Thomas Luny in the Nelson Gallery.