Details
When?
Thu 23 Oct 2025 -Sat 25 Oct 2025
10am–5pm (various 15 min slots)
Where?
Leeds Kirkgate Market, Container 2 (located opposite Pollini Pizza and just inside the entrance from New York Street)Vicar Lane
City Centre
Leeds
LS2 7HY
What?
InstallationPrices
Pay What You Can £2–£35Recommended price £15
Plus booking fees
Through the story of one family, this intimate, interactive installation shares the Palestinian experience of displacement and resistance.
The seeds of Dear Laila were planted when Basel Zaraa’s five-year-old daughter began to ask him about his home growing up. Unable to take her there, he decided he would try to bring the place to her, by creating a model of his childhood home in Yarmouk Palestinian refugee camp in Damascus.
Dear Laila explores how war and exile are experienced through everyday, domestic and public spaces. Experienced by one audience member at a time, Dear Laila uses the retelling of memories and tactile details to bring this now destroyed place to life.
An Olive Tree: A Living Archive
Thu 23 – Sat 25 Oct, 11am–4pm
Alongside Dear Laila, Transform’s Young Curators present An Olive Tree: A Living Archive, an installation located opposite the container. You’re invited to reflect on home, memory and displacement. Festival goers and passersby can leave words, drawings, or images on its branches to create a growing archive of shared reflections – a living testament to belonging and resilience.
Your Experience
What to expect
This is an interactive installation experienced by one person at a time, who sits at a desk. The work features photos, videos, and audio.
Duration
15 mins
Latecomers
Please note that latecomers will not be admitted. We strongly advise you plan your travel in advance and arrive at the venue at least 15 minutes prior to the start time.
Age guidance
14+
Language
English
Content guidance
The performance includes mention of a massacre; a mention of bombing and a bombing sound; and explores the experience of becoming a refugee.
Getting here
Head to the Leeds Kirkgate Market website for more information about getting to the venue.
Access information
Captions
Transcript available
Seating
A high-backed chair is offered to sit at and experience the work.
Open door policy
Transform has an open door policy which means that, if for access reasons you need to exit the theatre at any point, you can return when you’re ready.
More information
Head to Transform’s Access page for more information.
If you have specific requirements or questions about access, please fill out our Access form or contact Brad Welch at [email protected] and let us know how we can help you.
