Media library

Meet IOLA 2.0, a sparkling robot queen from the future, and her extraordinary troupe of illuminated dancers and drummers, who will be performing in the main atrium at Trinity Leeds.

‘Far, Far Away’ is unique in that it’s fully analogue, using repurposed overhead projectors that will bring the story to life above the shopfronts of Briggate.

'In Dual Light' is a collaboration with City of Maths, which Leeds is the first to have been anointed for 2026-27. For the artwork, Belgian artists Nele Fack and Niels Blondeel were inspired by the mathematical idea of duality, and the piece explores how two apparently different things can be alternative expressions of the same underlying form.

Fascinating objects on show include a copy of the Chartularium Kirkstallense, compiled by antiquarian Thomas Wilson, which contains around 200 documents related to Kirkstall. Wilson gathered them from the sale of a museum in the 1740s and from a chest found in Chapel Allerton which was believed to have lain undiscovered since the Dissolution. As part of his archive, Wilson acquired an original property deed from 1460 which today is the oldest document related to Leeds in the City Library’s collection.

Fascinating objects on show include a copy of the Chartularium Kirkstallense, compiled by antiquarian Thomas Wilson, which contains around 200 documents related to Kirkstall. Wilson gathered them from the sale of a museum in the 1740s and from a chest found in Chapel Allerton which was believed to have lain undiscovered since the Dissolution. As part of his archive, Wilson acquired an original property deed from 1460 which today is the oldest document related to Leeds in the City Library’s collection.

Among the more contemporary exhibits is a collection of gig tickets and zines collected at famous Leeds performances and venues including the renowned Duchess of York, which once hosted some of the biggest names in music history. Librarian Antony Ramm is shown here with some of the collection.

Among the more contemporary exhibits is a collection of gig tickets and zines collected at famous Leeds performances and venues including the renowned Duchess of York, which once hosted some of the biggest names in music history.

Among the more contemporary exhibits is a collection of gig tickets and zines collected at famous Leeds performances and venues including the renowned Duchess of York, which once hosted some of the biggest names in music history.

Also on display, held here by Antony Ramm, is a truncheon used by a police constable at the time of the Chartist Riots of 1842, a wave of protest, industrial unrest and strikes sparked by Parliament’s rejection of a petition for social reform.

Also on display, held here by Antony Ramm, is a truncheon used by a police constable at the time of the Chartist Riots of 1842, a wave of protest, industrial unrest and strikes sparked by Parliament’s rejection of a petition for social reform.

The first written record of a game of football in Leeds is among centuries of incredible stories captured in a new exhibition celebrating a historic civic milestone. The impromptu kickabout took place on a frozen River Aire in the depths of a harsh 18th century winter and is documented in a remarkable Memoranda Book penned by historian John Lucas.

The first written record of a game of football in Leeds is among centuries of incredible stories captured in a new exhibition celebrating a historic civic milestone. The impromptu kickabout took place on a frozen River Aire in the depths of a harsh 18th century winter and is documented in a remarkable Memoranda Book penned by historian John Lucas, held here by librarian Antony Ramm.