Andrew Lanyon and artists' collective unveil their new lottery-funded exhibition at Falmouth Art Gallery

The enigmatic Andrew Lanyon has worked with a collective of Cornish artists to stage Nature’s Laboratory – A Fantasy, and many of them turned out at the exhibition's launch last week.

The "quirky" exhibition features an exciting array of drawings, paintings, sculptures, automata and moving mechanisms. Immerse yourself in the tale of ‘Nature’ who is hard at work in her laboratory creating the emotions. Distracted by her work she is unaware of what her robot assistants are getting up to.

Andrew Lanyon writes of the exhibition: "All we can really say about what follows is we are pretty certain none of it happened. And ‘certainty’ is a wonderful thing. Creating unlikely scenarios, however, can throw up ideas which help loosen the concrete in which are set the rocks of belief."

Donna Williams, the gallery's access and interpretation manager, said: "We are delighted to have had the opportunity to work with Andrew and his collective of artists on this fantastic exhibition.

"Yet again our audience has the opportunity to be challenged, amused and delighted by Andrew’s unique and accessible approach. We are incredibly grateful to the National Lottery through Arts Council England for their support."

The exhibition hangs alongside the gallery’s new Faces of Cornwall display which was first staged by the gallery in 1987 so 20 years later it is presenting an updated version featuring many of the works from the original show. On display is a striking selection of portraits of men, women and children who were born or have lived in Cornwall from the 17th century to the present day.

In the 1987 catalogue the gallery's then curator, Kate Dinn, wrote: "Despite its relatively small population and distance from the capital, Cornwall has produced a high proportion of people whose fame has spread beyond its boundaries, and has attracted to it many whose contributions to the county’s history and culture have justified their ‘adoption’ by the Duchy."

Included in the exhibition are inventors, artists, writers, aristocracy, fishermen and families. Works have been loaned from private collections, Penlee House Gallery and Museum, Helston Museum and the Royal Cornwall Museum.

Nature's Laboratory: A Fantasy can be seen until March 10 while Faces of Cornwall will remain on show until April 14. Both exhibitions are accompanied by a series of talks, workshops and events for the whole family. Visit falmouthartgallery.com for full details. The gallery is open from 10am until 5pm, Monday to Saturday and admission is free.