Performer opens door to her world

Carnesky has been creating shows for over two decades, mixing illusions, live art, theatre and burlesque for contemporary audiences.

Curators say the exhibition, called Memoirs of a Showwoman, will display Carnesky’s most infamous works together with unseen material for the first time.

It will include flyers, posters, film, costumes and props from her many productions, including the now permanently established live art dark ride Carnesky’s Ghost Train.

Professor Vanessa Toulmin, director of Sheffield University’s National Fairground Archive, said: “The displays will delight and disturb as they showcase amazing costumes from Marisa’s shows, including collaborative works with artists such as Anthony Bennett and Mark Copeland, inspirations from the National Fairground Archive and unseen material from her personal archive.

“It promises to be a feast for the senses.”