An augmented reality experience created by Dr Louise Atkinson in collaboration with Chinese-speaking participants as a contemporary parallel to the Chinese export wallpaper at Harewood House.

Super/Market by Dr Louise Atkinson brings together contemporary art, festivals, food, and the voices of local community groups including Lychee Red Chinese Seniors, Hongkongers and Leeds Chinese Community School.

Located in the East Bedroom at Harewood House in Leeds, the work centres on seasonal food as represented in the wallpaper and as a recurring theme in the workshops, linking everyday life and cultural heritage.

In Chinese export wallpaper, agricultural scenes reflect the cycles and processes of food production and export. Super/Market reimagines these motifs through contemporary images of food and festivals to mark different times of the year, connecting traditional methods with lived experiences of migration and modern food culture.

The title reflects global histories of trade, as well as shifts from agriculture to large-scale manufacture. Framed by a Chinese arch based on the entrance to a local supermarket, the work reflects the role these gateways have played in shaping identity and belonging in UK Chinatowns.

The installation is complemented by four postcard designs, each highlighting ingredients from seasonal foods and linking to its own augmented reality experience. Together, the installation and postcards celebrate food as a marker of time, community, and exchange.

House website for opening times and ticket information.

More information

Super/Market is part of If Walls Could Talk, a project exploring art and augmented reality in partnership with Harewood House, led by Dr Louise Atkinson (Visiting Research Fellow in the School of Fine Art, History of Art and Cultural Studies, University of Leeds).