From Arcadia to Heterotopia: Reimagining the work of May Morris and Mary Seton Watts through Surface Pattern Design
- Date: Tuesday 15 September 2026, 12:30 – 13:30
- Location: Online
- Cost: Tickets are £12 per session, or £10.80 for Watts Gallery, Wallpaper History Society and Sanderson members. The full series of six talks costs £66, or £60 for members.
In this talk, artist, alumna and researcher Louise Atkinson discusses the development of Heterotopia, a new artwork commissioned for The Art of Wallpaper: Morris & Co.
Drawing on the lives, politics and visual languages of May Morris and Mary Seton Watts, the commission imagines a creative collaboration between two influential women whose contributions to the Arts and Crafts movement have often been overlooked.
Louise’s talk introduces the research behind the work and the process of transforming motifs from historical sources into a contemporary repeat pattern. Through composition, typography, and symbolism, Heterotopia considers contrasting, yet complementary ideas of social change in the 19th century and how those ideas still resonate today.
About the speaker
Dr Louise Atkinson is a contemporary artist, researcher and community facilitator, currently based in the School of Fine Art, History of Art and Cultural Studies at the University of Leeds as a Visiting Research Fellow.
Her practice explores the relationship between art and heritage, in which she employs a range of visual and digital media and techniques, including collage, animation, repeat pattern design, and augmented reality.
Book your place
This talk will take place live on Zoom and will be recorded, with recordings available to watch for one week following the session.
Register for the talk via the Watts Gallery website.
More information
Part of The Art of Wallpaper: Morris & Co. exhibition season, this event is one in a series of online lunchtime talks exploring wallpaper, design history, conservation, craftsmanship and the enduring legacy of Morris & Co.
Join a range of invited speakers – leading historians, artists, designers, archivists and conservation specialists – as they share their expertise and insights into the fascinating world of wallpaper.
The talks take place on Tuesdays from 8 September to 13 October.
Full details about the series can be found here.
Feature image
Detail from Louise Atkinson’s Heterotopia, 2026. Image courtesy of the artist.