The pandemic has made it feel like a treat to even imagine spending Christmas with our own families, let alone other people. But our new art installation is inviting us all to enjoy the festive season together.
My Christmas Home invites Leeds city centre visitors to “step into Christmas” in someone else’s house.
Adorned with real front doors from homes across Leeds, this striking structure welcomes you inside a cosy festive scene where you can experience how Christmas looks and feels inside a variety of Leeds households — including a student flatshare, the home of an NHS nurse, and Emmaus Leeds: a community of formerly homeless people.
My Christmas Home is funded by LeedsBID, who we collaborated with on It’s Proper Art back in 2019. It is Found Fiction’s biggest project to date.
Celebrate Christmas Day with another household
From breakfast tables where selection boxes are giddily handed out (and consumed) to roaring open fires where the evening is toasted with a mulled wine night cap, our homes are what make Christmas special and unique. And it’s these living spaces that My Christmas Home will capture in an immersive experience that makes it feel like you’re actually celebrating Christmas Day with another household.
Located on Bond Court, My Christmas Home combines video projections, interior decor, and recorded audio to convincingly simulate life in someone else’s home. The experience will rotate between five Leeds households during its run between November 27th and December 29th.
Opening daily between 11am and 7pm (11am to 5pm Sundays) during that period, My Christmas Home will serve up a feast of interactive elements to people visiting the installation, too. Hang your hopes on a Christmas Wish Tree, write a Christmas card to the people hosting you, and enjoy a mince pie (or three).
“We all remember Christmas 2020, even though it was pretty forgettable. We’re counting on this Christmas to be better than the last — but more than that, we need it to be the highlight of the whole year. The big thing about this Christmas is that we should be able to open up our doors and celebrate together — and we’ll never take that for granted again.
“That’s exactly what we’re saying with this installation, by giving people the chance to experience a Christmas that’s completely different to their own. I’m really proud to be celebrating a cross-section of society and bringing lesser-heard voices to the fore — it’s my artistic obligation, and the privilege of a lifetime. My hope is that My Christmas Home will build empathy and connections between different Leeds communities by allowing everyone to share in a multitude of Christmas experiences.”
— Steve Clarkson, Founder of Found Fiction
“This Christmas more than ever, we want people to be able to revel in the festivities in Leeds city centre. By working with key partners, we hope to have wrapped up something for everyone to experience and enjoy.”
— Karen Butler, Head of Place Management at LeedsBID
“We are very excited to be taking part in My Christmas Home. We love that the installation will show the diversity of households in Leeds, and highlights that Christmas looks different in every household. Being involved in a large community project such as this can help to raise the confidence and self-esteem of our companions (service users), who are rebuilding their lives after experiencing homelessness.” — Gina Morrison, General Manager of Emmaus Leeds
My Christmas Home: key details
When?
Open 11am-7pm (11am-5pm Sundays) between Saturday November 27th and Wednesday December 29th.
Where?
Bond Court, Leeds.
