The Harris was delighted to work with Egyptian artist Khaled Hafez on a new IWM 14-18 NOW Legacy Fund commission that formed part of the Harris’ reopening offer in September 2025, after a 4-year redevelopment project. The project included the renovation of the Grade I listed building, the creation of new spaces including a learning studio, community gallery and young people’s space, and new displays, many of which were co-created with communities from the Preston area.  

The starting point for the commission was the Egyptian Balcony, one of the Harris’ most unique features. Located at the very top of the building, it is a series of large painted landscapes of ancient Egyptian sites and reinterpretations of tomb paintings. It was created between 1908 and 1913 by artist John Somerscales after a research trip to Egypt. It is considered to be the Harris’ first art commission. 

Despite its popularity and prominence in the building, since then, the relationship between Egypt and Preston had been little explored. This project was an important opportunity to consider questions like why there are ancient Egyptian artefacts in the collection, what were the motivations behind the Egyptian balcony, and why was Egypt a crucial supplier of cotton to Lancashire’s textile mills - all within the wider context of Britain's occupation of Egypt during the 1900s.

The Egyptian revolution of 1919 was a nation-wide revolt against decades of British occupation. Mass strikes and demonstrations took place across Egypt on a daily basis leading to the death of over 800 people. The revolt included demonstrations led by Egypt’s first feminist movement. The British suppressed the revolt, but the negotiations that followed led to Egyptian independence in 1922, and the eventual withdrawal of British troops from Egypt in 1956.

Working with Khaled, who lives and works in Cairo, was key to introducing a fresh perspective when researching these histories. Importantly, bringing a non-curatorial voice to the retelling of these histories including little-known stories though Khaled’s deep-rooted connections to the country and the lived experiences of his family.

Khaled made two trips to Preston to research the collections, meet community partners and test production methods, before a third visit to create and install the site-specific installation. Khaled led workshops with Harris volunteers and art students from the University of Lancashire (ULan) testing his method for creating the central piece of the commission a cut-out paper frieze. 

The frieze is made from collaged hand-cut and laser-cut paper motifs glued to the walls of the main staircase from the ground to the first floor. Khaled’s military motifs, include soldiers, tanks and fighter planes, researched from the British iconography of the World Wars, creating a visual language reminiscent of ancient Egyptian wall paintings. Khaled co-created the finished work with volunteers and art students.  

The second part of the commission is a series of screen-prints that combine historic family photographs with written stories. The first being Khaled’s grandfather Hafez Donia who resisted British occupation during the Egyptian Revolution of 1919, by leading demonstrations that declared the independence of Faraskour, a city in the northern Egyptian Delta. He was elected ‘King’ and the city remained unscathed for 100 days until British troops took it over. The narrative then continues through the stories of his grandmother, father, mother, aunt and uncle. 

The screen-prints were made in collaboration with ULan’s ArtLab Contemporary Print Studio. Khaled spent a day working with printmakers making test prints before they went on to create the series on his behalf.

The third element of the commission is a film that combines historic photographs of Lancashire cotton mills and Egyptian cotton plantations using AI animation. 

Alongside the IWM 14-18 NOW Legacy Fund commission, The Harris also displays two carpets designed by Khaled using military motifs from the frieze, produced in partnership with Oriental Weavers Group in Cairo, and a selection of small sculptures on loan from the artist that were created during the Covid pandemic lockdown in 2020. These ‘mummifications’ of objects from Khaled’s studio are displayed with the connotation of future archaeology, playfully considering what future generations might find when excavating today’s humanity in 4000 years.  

Khaled and The Harris team would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who supported the project, in particular The Harris volunteers and ULan’s art students who took part in the making of the frieze, and ArtLab.