How Edible Archives Turns Local Food History into Art
Edible Archives work with Yorkshire communities to create sensory-based exhibitions celebrating local heritage and culture, blending food, art and soundscapes
We caught up with the pair as they prepared the final stages of their most recent project for Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture, the Bradford Selection – a bespoke biscuit tin inspired by the recipes, stories and landmarks of Bradford. A culmination of more than a years’ work, since their inception Edible Archives have been interested in making heritage accessible and enjoyable for all through food and drink.
‘The concept behind it is to make multi-sensory installations and events that explore heritage stories in a really accessible and playful way,’ explains Harry. ‘A lot of our projects previously have been in spaces that might be a bit intimidating, so what we want to do is find a way to be playful and introduce stories that we think are important, in a way that creates a really strong emotional response or long-lasting responses to those stories.’
Past venues and projects have included Eating City Hall at Bradford City Hall, where attendees were gifted silverware engraved with poetry inspired by West Yorkshire Archive research (alongside a whole smorgasbord of local treats). ‘We created this banquet where we encouraged people to interact and play with their food. [The silverware] was paying homage to the silverware that belongs to the people of Bradford but is behind glass cabinets in City Hall,’ Sonia explains. Alongside the food and silverware were model constructions and illustrations from the history of the hall.
Another project, Eating Kirkgate Market, was inspired by the murals of the famous artist William Mitchell which decorate the market’s interior, and saw ice lollies moulded with designs mirroring his artwork with flavours inspired by the stories behind his works.
Outside Bradford, the team have produced Drinking Sowerby Bridge (serving mocktails inspired by the waterways and industrial heritage of the area), Eating the Corn Exchange in Leeds (drawing on the alternative music subculture of the city), and Drinking St George’s Hall in Saltaire (playing on the live music heritage of the venue with ‘living’ kefir drinks).
The creative partnership between Sonia and Harry was a match made in heaven. Harry’s background includes being artist in residence at Bradford City Hall, and Sonia is experienced in running popular local food pop-ups. ‘I was at a stage of exploring food more as a creative practice, so when Harry got in touch it was a really exciting idea,’ says Sonia. ‘I feel like the City Hall project that we did initially really kickstarted what we now run as a small organisation.’
The Bradford Selection (due to launch in independent stores in the Bradford district in late June), is their most ambitious undertaking yet and combines the recipes and stories of communities within Bradford. ‘The idea came from creating a legacy object for the Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture and tapping into shared memories that many people across various cultures have of their grandma having an old biscuit tin or an old chocolate box where she might keep her sewing kit or a button collection,’ Sonia explains. ‘Each biscuit is a new recipe, designed either in collaboration with community groups or to represent iconic buildings. We’re partnering with local shops across the Bradford district and you’ll be able to pick them up in independent shops.
‘The idea is you take it home, scan the QR code and listen to the soundscape as you’re eating the biscuits with family and friends. The soundscape will be a layering of all of the different interviews we’ve been doing telling the story of Bradford.’
For Harry, a particular highlight was working on the community orchard biscuit, the Apple Day Forever. ‘We’ve worked with [Bowling Community Orchard] for about a year and we’ve spoken to them about the challenges the orchard is facing, as well as its success as a community space,’ he says. ‘It’s under threat currently because the rent has gone up for the space. There wouldn’t be the orchard or the allotments if it wasn’t for them clearing it and planting the trees about 20 years ago. We’ve worked with them to harvest and process a number of their apples which will feature in the biscuit that we’re creating for their story.’
The pair understand how significant taste and smell are in connecting with people emotionally, and in helping the community access their heritage. ‘It’s something that people feel really confident responding to. Often art and heritage are things where, if you don’t feel like you’re an expert, you can feel like it’s not for you to even have an opinion,’ Harry explains. ‘Whereas tasting something is a real gateway to having an opinion. There something really democratising about it. Everyone that we talk to is one step away from telling you about a recipe that feels really important to them.’
