Peel Building - UOS Commission

University of Salford | May 2026

Peel Building: 130 Years of History

To celebrate the 130th anniversary of the Peel Building at the University of Salford, I was commissioned by the University's Archives Department to create a digital artwork exploring the building's history. The project gave me the opportunity to delve into the University's archives and discover how historical stories and memories are preserved, catalogued and passed on.

I responded to this research by creating a four part illustrated comic strip, using humour, character and visual storytelling to make the archive and its contents more accessible to a wider audience. The comic introduces Alex, the fictional 'keeper of all Salford University lore', who guides the viewer through the idea of the archive as a place where the many layers of the building's history are kept. The work explores what happens to stories when they are not recorded, remembered or shared, and considers the importance of archives in keeping institutional and community histories alive.

The project allowed me to explore archival research as an artistic process and to translate historical information into an engaging and accessible visual format. By creating a playful narrative around the archive, the work aims to encourage curiosity about the history of the Peel Building and the wider university, while demonstrating how creative approaches can open up archival collections to new audiences.

The completed comic was created for publication on the Salford Libraries blog, providing an alternative and accessible way for audiences to connect with the University's history and discover the stories held within its archives.