FANCY a peak into an opium den or the private belongings of an 18th century trader?

A new exhibition at Danson House gives you the chance to play at being an opium eater with beds and pipes as props in a reconstruction of a Chinese den.

The idea is to explore cultural stereotypes by featuring authentic props like an opium pipe with the inauthentic, like the cheap replica perfume Opium by Yves Saint Laurent.

Couriers of Taste seeks to explore lazy cultural stereotypes and "take an unflinching look at the contentious and often abhorrent implications of trade that spurs global commerce, from fashion and taste to darker nuances such as racism, production values and the contested territory of exoticism".

If that all sounds a bit heavy, then the show also features seeds from artist and dissident Ai Weiwei’s famous 2010 Tate Modern installation Sunflower Seeds which have been borrowed from participants through a social media campaign.

Visitors often discreetly wandered off with a handful of the 100,000,000 seeds, so gathering some of them together again looks at trade through the dissemination of art itself.

Every room on the top floor of Danson house has a theme including territories, consumerism and the trader, which looks at how 18th century goods from around the world were influencing consumption in Britain.

Another room looks at contemporary chinoiserie: a term meaning ‘Chineseesque’, which was a European style inspired by China and the East.

Danson Park itself has wallpaper inspired by China as a reflection of this style, which can be seen today in the salon.

Chief Executive of Bexley Heritage Trust, Caroline Worthington, said: "We are proud to present Couriers of Taste as an exhibition that both reflects on Danson House’s own heritage whilst presenting an interesting counterpoint with themes of globalisation and consumerism."

Couriers of Taste at Danson House in Danson Park, Bexleyheath, runs from Sunday to Thursday from April 1 to October 31 with 12pm to 5pm opening hours.

Adult admission is £7, concessions £5, and under 16s free.

Visit bexleyheritagetrust.org.uk for more information.