We're so excited to share our programme for PoliNations - a super garden of magical proportions taking over Birmingham&rsquo;s city centre for 17 days this September!&nbsp;
Inspired by the fact that the majority of plants in our city gardens come from overseas, PoliNations will celebrate the cross-pollination that has shaped British culture. Across two spectacular long weekend festivals, a community planting weekend, and a daily programme of inspiring activity, PoliNations will present artist commissions, talks, workshops, garden tours, and performances spanning live music, spoken word, dance, and drag. All events will be free and open to everyone!
Taking place in Birmingham, one of the most multicultural, creative and green cities of the UK, which has &lsquo;Tree City of the World&rsquo; status, PoliNations will highlight stories of migration shared by plants and humans alike. The epic programme will shine a light on our differences, similarities, roots and freedoms.
Angie Bual, Creative Director, Trigger, said:
&ldquo;The idea behind PoliNations derived from the wave of Black Lives Matter protests that happened at the same time as the coronavirus lockdowns, when more and more people were reconnecting with nature. These phenomena made me think about my own identity and place in the UK, and at Trigger Collective we began exploring the relationship between plants, cultural identity and civic activism. We were surprised to find out that most of the plant life in our city gardens has travelled in from outside of the UK and wanted to use the vibrancy of plant life as a metaphor to understand why we're multi-cultural. Together we make the world more beautiful and interesting, and we've been doing this in the UK for thousands of years. Migration isn't a recent action - it's as old as the rose, apple and lavender are to our gardens. The PoliNations programme is the result of collaborations with members of many diverse communities and it's a true celebration of cultural diversity, individuality and self-expression.&rdquo;
Martin Green, Chief Creative Officer at UNBOXED: Creativity in the UK and the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, said:
 &ldquo;PoliNations will be a joyous celebration of the incredible creativity and cultural diversity across the UK today. We&rsquo;re thrilled to have commissioned the festival as a part of UNBOXED, and that it will also provide a spectacular free event for everyone in the final month of the Birmingham 2022 Festival. Audiences from the region and far and wide will be able to experience an event that embraces diverse forms of art, and myriad ways to tell captivating personal and collective stories that reflect the magnificent richness of our society.&rdquo;
<h5>THE SUPER GARDEN</h5>
PoliNations was inspired by the surprising fact that over 80% of plants found in UK city-gardens originate from overseas.
Audiences will discover a super garden in Birmingham&rsquo;s town centre, with giant architectural trees and thousands of colourful living plants beautifully arranged in zones ranging from meadow to forest. As part of a partnership with Birmingham City Council,&nbsp; plants from the PoliNations garden will go back out to re-green the city.
The visionary team behind the super garden, <a href="https://www.triggerstuff.co.uk/">Trigger Collective</a>, include experts in horticulture, arts, science and architecture, brought together by arts organisation Trigger. The Collective includes: <a title="" href="https://www.triggerstuff.co.uk/about" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Angie Bual</a> (<a title="" href="https://www.thehatchling.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Hatchling</a>), <a title="" href="https://www.carlrobertshaw.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Carl Robertshaw</a> (Bj&ouml;rk, Kylie Minogue, London 2012 Olympics Ceremonies), set and costume designer <a href="https://bronia.co.uk/">Bronia Housman</a> (Bristol Old Vic, Take That, Sadler&rsquo;s Wells), design and architecture studio <a href="https://thiss.works/">THISS</a> (The Bartlett, UCL, 2021 Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism), and award-winning horticultural designers Chris and Toby Marchant (RHS Chelsea Flower Show medal-winners, Hauser &amp; Wirth Somerset).
<h5>ICONIC PLANT SCULPTURES AND WALKING WORKS OF ART</h5>
Beyond the super garden&rsquo;s living plants, throughout Victoria Square and Chamberlain Square visitors will discover Iconic Plant Sculptures, inspired by the incredible diversity of plant-life in the UK and their equally colourful origins and uses ranging from protest to ritual and wellbeing. Designed by Carl Robertshaw, the sculptures will feature soundscapes created by local and international artists, in collaboration with Olivier Award-winning sound designer Tom Gibbons.
Throughout the finale weekend, Ballistic Seed Party&nbsp; (15-18 September), a cast of Walkabout Performers led by artist and performer Symon&eacute; (Guinness World Records) will personify the iconic garden plants. Dressed in Met-Gala worthy costumes designed by Clary Salandy (Mahogany Carnival Design) and Bourgeoise aka Joey A. Frenette (RuPaul&rsquo;s Drag Race), these walking works of art will animate the super garden and conclude each day with a choreographed performance at Sunset. Among the cast is the celebrated performance artist aka &lsquo;living sculpture&rsquo; Daniel Lismore.
<h5>PROGRAMME HIGHLIGHTS</h5>
The PoliNations programme will unfurl across two main stages including the Main Stage and Mother Tree Stage, as well as a workshop dome, Wondersphere. Highlights include two extraordinary weekend festivals, a daily programme of diverse and inspiring activities and a community Plant Up! project open to the public.
<h5>BALLISTIC SEED PARTY Thursday 15 - Sunday 18 September, 2022</h5>
The Ballistic Seed Party will be a four-day weekend finale celebrating self-expression with queer, South Asian, African and Caribbean artists from the West Midlands and beyond leading the programme. Thursday offers a day of glitz and glam for all the family. Friday evening offers an Indian summer&rsquo;s evening of dance and music curated in partnership with Sandwell &amp; Birmingham Mela, the biggest Asian music festival in Europe. Saturday will host an all day - all night party in the spirit of Carnival, Holi, and Mardi Gras brought to life thanks to collaborations with ACE Dance and Music, the national touring company based in Birmingham, Sandwell &amp; Birmingham Mela and Symon&eacute;&rsquo;s cast of Walkabout Performers. On Saturday festival goers will also get to see the tree canopies bursting in a cloud of colour and confetti. Sunday will present local live music from Birmingham and the West Midlands, including Kofi Stone, TrueMendous, and Rosie Tee.
Across this four-day festival, unmissable events celebrating self-expression and queer culture at the Main Stage include The Catwalk Extravaganza hosted by the formidable performer, writer and director Rikki Beadle Blair, which will present queer collectives and individual performers for stunning fashion, lip-sync, make-up and dance battles produced in partnership with Darren Pritchard. Meanwhile the Family Catwalk Extravaganza - part theatre, part competition - ensures all the family can join in. Yshee&rsquo;s Drag Party hosted by Drag artist Yshee Black will also unite an extraordinary group of talent for a showcase of drag, dance and cabaret to reflect on the theme of &lsquo;growth.&rsquo; At the Mother Tree Stage, Drag Queen Storytime, a children&rsquo;s story hour capturing the imagination and play of the gender fluidity in childhood, will give kids unabashedly queer role models. While at Chamberlain Square, visitors can attend free costume-making workshops at the WonderSphere with esteemed designers Clary Salandy and Bourgeoisie aka Joey A. Frenette in preparation for the final party on Saturday.
Elsewhere in the Ballistic Seed Party, music will feature renowned disco collective Horse Meat Disco, playing alongside the UK&rsquo;s most exciting new talent including rapper and hip hop artist Kofi Stone and leading Afro fusion collective Balimaya Project, world music group The Turbans, and many more. Visitors will discover vibrant Rangoli street art by Ranbir Kaur unfolding across Chamberlain Square and Victoria Square and will be able to have their hands decorated by henna artists.
<h5>Poetry &amp; Performance Festival in partnership with&nbsp; BBC Contains Strong Language Friday 9 - Sunday 11 September, 2022</h5>
The Poetry &amp; Performance Festival in partnership with BBC&rsquo;s Contains Strong Language festival will highlight 22 poets from across the Commonwealth including both regional and UK poetry talents. Special performances will include &lsquo;White Juju&rsquo; a live musical performance written in response to the Black Lives Matter movement, Black British History and lockdown by saxophonist and rapper Soweto Kinch (Mercury Prize Nominated). Jasmine Gardosi (Birmingham Poet Laureate Finalist) will present &lsquo;Dancing to Music You Hate&rsquo; a genre-defying performance by the poet, slam champion and beatboxer whose poems explore sex education, LGBTQ+ issues and mental health. Further programming includes screenings of animated films created as part of BBC Words First, Contains Strong Language Radio Club workshop sessions with local schoolchildren and more artists to be announced.
<h5>Plant Up! Friday 2 - Sunday 4 September</h5>
During the opening weekend of PoliNations, the public are invited to attend the Plant Up! which will see diverse local community groups and schools planting flowers in the super garden accompanied by Head Gardeners from The Birmingham Botanical Gardens.
In preparation for the Plant Up! weekend, over 1000 local people have been growing marigolds around Birmingham. The groups involved in the city-wide growing project reflect the diversity of Birmingham&rsquo;s communities, ranging from youth to elderly groups, from expert gardeners to total beginners, including refugee groups, women&rsquo;s groups, and disability action groups.
<h5>DAILY PROGRAMME Wellbeing &amp; Relaxation</h5>
Unfolding beneath the giant and otherworldly tree installations, daily events to relax the body and mind will span the PoliNations site. Each day begins the Awakening, a soundscape (by internationally renowned composer Max Perryment and co-created by Tom Gibbons, PoliNations&rsquo; award-winning Sound Designer) and closes with the Sunset Shift, a light and soundscape (created by Lighting Designer Matt Daw, Sound Designer Tom Gibbons and Composer Max Perryment, in partnership with Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, part of Birmingham City University) inspired by the sound of the bullroarer and transitioning the super garden from day to night time.
Daytime offerings also include Yoga, Pilates and Tai-Chi provided by local groups, Into the Garden: horticultural tours led by experts from The Birmingham Botanical Gardens.
<h5>ICONIC LUNCHTIME TALKS</h5>
A series of Iconic Lunchtime Talks hosted by drag artist Yshee Black will delve into topics including freedom of expression, protest, decolonisation, sustainability and wellbeing, including a special series curated by organic food grower and author Claire Ratinon with artist and educator Sam Ayre. Talks include:&nbsp; &lsquo;Horticultural Appropriation&rsquo; by Claire Ratinon and Sam Ayre, Sui Searle and Dr. Ros Gray on &lsquo;Decolonising the garden&rsquo;, Jon Drori on &lsquo;the histories and roles of plants in our lives,&rsquo; and Sue Stuart Smith and Chris Marchant on &lsquo;The Well Gardened Mind.&rsquo;&nbsp;
<h5>SEE, TASTE, TOUCH</h5>
Tea Tuk Tuk Chai Wallah in partnership with Dishoom Restaurants will be a place to enjoy a cup of tea every day, whilst exploring the history of the beverage and its journey to the UK. From Soil to Sip will invite participants to discover fragrant seeds and plants and brew the perfect mix of herbs and spices. &nbsp;This sensory experience is presented by performance company, Spectra, who hold neurodiversity at the heart of their work. At the TukTuk visitors will also encounter dance performances led by renowned&nbsp; dancemaker, choreographer and cultural producer Jaivant Patel Dance, and performers dressed in specially designed costumes as part of a partnership with British Council - Pakistan/UK: New Perspectives 2022, PoliNations.
Touch Tours of the super garden will also be offered across on selected days for the site for those who are blind, partially sighted or would benefit from a tour of the site exploring textures and sounds.
<h5>VIRTUAL SUPER GARDEN</h5>
For those who cannot access the festival, as well as those who can, the PoliNations app&nbsp; launching in July, will invite audiences to step into a virtual super garden, create flowers and watch them come to life in augmented reality.
<h5>Don't forget, all of our events are free and open to everyone!</h5>
Check back here for the latest udpates or sign up to our email to be one of the first to hear about all thinsg PoliNations!&nbsp;
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An Artist Render of Poli Nations, Courtesy of Trigger Collective. Credit Thiss, Carl Robertshaw, Trigger (2)

Drum roll..... the PoliNations programme is here!

Our mega costume designer Joey A Frenette has landed in Pakistan embarking on a brilliant new collaboration with two acclaimed fashion designers in Karachi as part of the Pakistan/UK New Perspectives porgramme!
As part of their residency, Joey is working side by side with Pakistan based Yousuf Bashir Qureshi and Riffat Aliani to design and create a series of costumes for our live event in Birmingham this September.&nbsp; They&rsquo;ll be basing their designs on the themes of PoliNations, journeys along the Silk Road and the history of tea, as well as learning from each other&rsquo;s practices. And their pieces will be worn by dancers as part of PoliNations. We can&rsquo;t wait to showcase this amazing collaboration as part of the festival!&nbsp;
Joey, Yousuf and Riffat will also be showcasing their designs at The PoliNations Pakistan Costume showcase in Karachi on Saturday 18th June, make sure you drop by for a sneak peek of their work if you&rsquo;re in the area.&nbsp;
We&rsquo;ve also got distinguished sitar player Rakae Jamil will also be composing&nbsp; two new compositions responding to the themes surrounding tea and the tulip flower - joining forces with PoliNations&rsquo; sound designer Tom Gibbons to present this new work in Birmingham.
PoliNations Creative Director and Artistic Director of Trigger, Angie Bual said: &ldquo;We&rsquo;re so excited by the creative opportunity and collaboration this partnership provides. Exploring, celebrating and learning from the diversity and creativity across our cultures is at the heart of what PoliNations is, so bring part of this season and collaborating with such talented Pakistan based creatives through the programme is a really exciting opportunity for us. We&rsquo;ve worked with Joey on other projects too and know that their creativity knows no bounds &ndash; I can&rsquo;t wait to see how their designs are influenced by time and collaboration in Pakistan this summer.&rdquo;&nbsp;
Laila Jamil, Director Arts, British Council Pakistan said: &ldquo;We are very pleased to have enabled this cultural exchange between UK and Pakistani artists. It&rsquo;s exciting for us to also have collaborative projects for fashion and music under the PK-UK Season. This is a great programme for learning and future projects in the arts.&rdquo;
After the showcase, the costumes will be making their way back to Birmingham where they will be showcased in spectacular fashion by renowned dancers for a special series of performances around a beautifully designed Tea Tuk-Tuk that will serve free chai to visitors while telling the story of tea across history and the Silk Road. Audiences will also have the opportunity to listen to the Rakae&rsquo;s new piece, bringing PoliNations and Pakistan together once more in the garden!&nbsp;&nbsp;
The New Perspective programme showcases the cultural wealth and contemporary creativity of both countries; facilitating professional collaboration for culture, creative and education sectors; with a focus on a shared future through building lasting partnerships. Find out more <a href="https://polinations.com/whats-on/">here</a>!
Fancy a cuppa? Find out more about tea and it&rsquo;s journey to the UK <a href="https://polinations.com/taking-part/">this way...</a>

Whats App Image 2022 06 16 at 9.39.23 Am (2)

We’re in Pakistan!

Fenella Dawnay, Senior Producer&nbsp;
<blockquote>
Tell us a bit about your role in PoliNations.&nbsp;
</blockquote>
I lead the brilliant Trigger producing team. We work to make sure we're on track to deliver the festival. I manage the overall budget, oversee artists engagement, work closely with the production and design teams, liaise with our key partners and work to ensure the best possible experience for our audiences across the festival. All in all, the producing team are here to help the creatives and designers realise their vision!&nbsp;
<blockquote>
How does sustainability fit into your role?&nbsp;
</blockquote>
A big part of this project is the importance of biodiversity. We knew from the start that we wanted to go on an honest and educational journey with sustainability to see exactly how sustainable we could be when developing this event from scratch, and share our findings with the industry. One of our first actions was to engage a sustainability consultant who would act as a critical friend and guide our decision making from the start - pushing us to find the most sustainable solutions we could to the challenges of putting on an epic festival in Birmingham. It has been a really eye opening experience and an illuminating and educational process for many of our creative team on this project.&nbsp;
<blockquote>
What has been the biggest sustainability related surprise for you since starting on PoliNations?&nbsp;
</blockquote>
That biodegradable glitter isn't really biodegradable! And that there's always a better way. Just by asking the question, "how can we make this more sustainable?", you can identify solutions and understand more about the carbon footprint left by our industry.&nbsp;
<blockquote>
What has been the most challenging aspect of trying to be sustainable?&nbsp;
</blockquote>
The fact that the most sustainable thing you can do is not to put on the project. So if you start there and then work backwards, you're just trying to make the lowest impact on the planet while still delivering something awe-inspiring, long-lasting and extraordinary for the audience. It can feel like an uphill battle. And in many cases it's impossible to make something legitimately low carbon, let alone carbon free.&nbsp;
<blockquote>
What advice would you give to other members of your profession who also want to put sustainability at the heart of what they do?&nbsp;
</blockquote>
Engage a sustainability consultant - right from the off! Always ask - "can we do this better?". Have a materials policy!&nbsp;
<blockquote>
What sustainability initiative are you most excited about for PoliNations?&nbsp;
</blockquote>
I'm excited about some of the wins we've made by changing tack to pursue a more low carbon solution - but the audience might not see all of those - so I'll say donating our plants back to the city and seeing the results of the biodiversity assessment. I'm looking forward to seeing how bringing this green space into the centre of Birmingham, even for a short while, might impact the insects and air of the city.&nbsp;
<blockquote>
When I need a boost, where can I get inspired about sustainability?&nbsp;
</blockquote>
Read Jonathan Drori's "Around the World in 80 Plants" to get you excited about the extraordinary diversity of plants and their importance to human life, through medicine, folklore and our cultural history.&nbsp;
<blockquote>
If you had a sustainable super power what would it be?&nbsp;
</blockquote>
Ohhhh - probably cleaning water of impurities and pollution - we need clean seas/rivers!&nbsp;

Fenella Dawnay Website

Making PoliNations sustainable with Fenella Dawnay

Carl Robertshaw, Lead Designer
<blockquote>
Tell us a bit about your role in PoliNations.
</blockquote>
I'm responsible for all elements of design from costumes and props to the large architectural trees and iconic plant sculptures alongside a team of architects, designers and costume designers.&nbsp;
<blockquote>
How does sustainability fit into your role?&nbsp;
</blockquote>
It comes into the thinking about the types of materials - how far have they travelled? How much do they weigh? As well as the design and legacy of anything we create.&nbsp;
<blockquote>
What has been the biggest sustainability related surprise for you since starting on PoliNations?&nbsp;
</blockquote>
Installing solar and wind power on the site would be more costly to the environment than using power coming into the site that is already green. [Birmingham City Council have 100% renewable electricity!]&nbsp;
<blockquote>
What has been the most challenging aspect of trying to be sustainable?&nbsp;
</blockquote>
We've had to adapt our design to be more sustainable but I think of this quite philosophically - any adaptations are generally going to make the project better and are a natural part of the process for a designer. &nbsp;
<blockquote>
What advice would you give to other members of your profession who also want to put sustainability at the heart of what they do?&nbsp;
</blockquote>
Design out non-sustainable aspects of your project. Think about how far things travel, resources that are used to make them, being conscious about single use - what can we reuse things for? Be creative with what you already have. Us designers can help figure out new ways of using things in an artistically attractive way. Things don't have to be heavy (!) and they can be implied, not literal. Keep these things in a corner of your working mind so that you are constantly interrogating what you're doing so that it leads to a more sustainable result.&nbsp;
<blockquote>
What sustainability initiative are you most excited about for PoliNations?&nbsp;
</blockquote>
The rainwater capture from the large architectural tree sculptures. Each tree can capture up to half a cubic meter of rain which will be used to water the plants onsite.&nbsp;
<blockquote>
When I need a boost, where can I get inspired about sustainability?&nbsp;
</blockquote>
David Attenborough's TV series&rsquo; e.g. The Private Life of Plants.&nbsp;
<blockquote>
If you had a sustainable super power what would it be?&nbsp;
</blockquote>
I'm really into things that fly and fluid- and aero- dynamics so I'd love to be able to fly without such a high environmental cost and have that amazing privilege of being held up by the air.&nbsp;

Carl Robertshaw Square

Making PoliNations sustainable with Carl Robertshaw

Angie Bual, Creative Director
<blockquote>
Tell us a bit about your role in PoliNations.&nbsp;
</blockquote>
The dreamer, weaver and developer of the vision. The cheerleader, joker and overall enthusiast.&nbsp;
<blockquote>
How does sustainability fit into your role?&nbsp;
</blockquote>
It's every part of the vision, scoping and shaping of the project. From plant pot to tree top - how can we make our programme tread lightly as we try to switch on power, move objects, erect an installation. How can we feed our team sustainably, transport them and make the whole programme work.&nbsp;
<blockquote>
What has been the biggest sustainability related surprise for you since starting on PoliNations?&nbsp;
</blockquote>
It's been extremely eye opening. We thought we could put in wind turbines and generate our own power. But it would do more harm than good... in this case the energy used to transport and make the turbines would outweigh the amount of energy that could be created in a city centre for a couple of weeks!&nbsp;
<blockquote>
What has been the most challenging aspect of trying to be sustainable?&nbsp;
</blockquote>
Seeing ideas that sound nice on paper turn out to be simply green washing.&nbsp;
<blockquote>
What advice would you give to other members of your profession who also want to put sustainability at the heart of what they do?&nbsp;
</blockquote>
Bring on a sustainability consultant. You'd be surprised at what mistakes we make without realising.&nbsp;
<blockquote>
What sustainability initiative are you most excited about for PoliNations?&nbsp;
</blockquote>
The great plant/ tree giveaway [at the end of the project we will give away plants used in the installation].
<blockquote>
When I need a boost, where can I get inspired about sustainability?&nbsp;
</blockquote>
The Guardian&nbsp;
<blockquote>
If you had a sustainable super power what would it be?&nbsp;
</blockquote>
Solar!

Angie Bual Headshot 2

Making PoliNations sustainable with Angie Bual

Sustainabililty has been at the heart of PoliNations since day one, and as the project progresses, we are keen to share our thoughts, decisions and learnings on how we're making this large-scale outdoor event as sustainable as possible. Production &amp; Events Manager and Sustainability Lead Jenny Hutt and our Sustainability Consultant Helen Freudenberg will be sharing a number of blogs, posts and Q&amp;As to track our impact. This is the first one - welcome!
PoliNations is being created and produced by a diverse collective of like-minded independent creative companies working together to produce an epic outdoor cultural &amp; horticultural arts event in Birmingham in 2022, celebrating colour, beauty, natural diversity, nature and greening cities, to which everyone is invited!&nbsp;
With a creative staff team of around 30 people and an additional 250 people working on the project including dancers, musicians, speakers &amp; artists, crew, production and events teams and 100 volunteers, sustainability is at the heart of what we do and it has been since the very start of our conversations about this fantastical, floral project. We want to make sure that sustainability is considered in every decision we make.&nbsp;
<img src="https://cms.polinations.com/assets/3c0b29e0-a66b-4d32-84b6-16f51a967bcf?width=3780&amp;height=2126" alt="Globe 1850 2021 Mo Bars" />Credit <a title="" href="https://showyourstripes.info/b/globe/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#ShowYourStripes</a> <a title="" href="https://showyourstripes.info/b/globe/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">[1]</a>
The image above shows the huge increase in global temperatures and research tells us we have 7 years to stop the world from warming so much that we can&rsquo;t go back [<a title="" href="https://www.ipcc.ch/2022/04/04/ipcc-ar6-wgiii-pressrelease/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2</a>]. The festival industry is responsible for over 24,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions in the UK every year <a title="" href="https://www.vision2025.org.uk/the-show-must-go-on/" target="_self">[3]</a>, which is a sobering statistic. But the good news is, the industry has the power to not only reduce the direct impacts of live events, but also to lead by example and show its audiences sustainable alternatives at the events they love so that we can continue to enjoy festivals like this for years to come.&nbsp;
For PoliNations, this means thinking about sustainability from the beginning to the end and beyond, and we&rsquo;re lucky that we have an amazing team who don&rsquo;t need any convincing that being sustainable is the right thing to do! In practice this means looking at the sustainability of different materials used to build a stage or sculpture or in a costume, as well as its design; working out the power requirements for the shows; making sure waste is appropriately sorted and disposed of; limiting team flight travel; designing a website that has a low negative environmental impact; bringing sustainably sourced plant-life into the space and working out where it will go afterwards; working with sustainable suppliers and low carbon logistics to name a few. Everyone working on the creation of our project has sustainability on the brain, and we&rsquo;re also taking guidance and advice from professional sustainability consultants along the way to ensure we&rsquo;re really considering all the options. The aim? To show that it is possible to produce outstanding, high impact arts events whilst minimising the detrimental impacts on the environment.&nbsp;
We&rsquo;re doing this within the framework of our <a title="" href="https://cms.polinations.com/assets/4cb4ac18-4379-49b2-80b7-ca41402d8499.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sustainability Policy</a> and Action Plan which the team created together to keep us on track.&nbsp;
One of the main commitments of the project is to publicly share knowledge and our experience about the processes and choices made to inspire others so you&rsquo;ll find lots of info in our blogs in the coming months from &lsquo;Making drag sustainable&rsquo; to &lsquo;The Future of our Plants&rsquo;.
Written by Helen Freudenberg
<img src="https://cms.polinations.com/assets/347fdce3-e0b1-4de7-806f-6d32865117dc?width=300&amp;height=400" alt="Img 20200117 122854" />

Untitled Design

An Introduction to Sustainability

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Today, 10th May 2022, hundreds of children and adults across Birmingham began growing flowers in preparation for the spectacular pop-up garden festival PoliNations taking place from 2-18 September. Produced by Trigger Collective as a part of UNBOXED: Creativity in the UK, PoliNations will turn Birmingham&rsquo;s city centre into an urban oasis for a celebration of the cross-pollination that has shaped British culture.
&nbsp;
Over the next 4 months, over 1000 people from 60 diverse community groups across the city will be growing calendula flowers, commonly known as marigold using the PoliNations Grow Packs with all the resources provided. The project will culminate in the co-planting of 600 marigolds in the magical PoliNations pop-up garden. After the two-week festival, all plants will go back out into Birmingham to re-green the city.
&nbsp;
Open to all, PoliNations is part of the UK-wide UNBOXED: Creativity in the UK, and will bring the cultural programme for the Birmingham 2022 Festival to a spectacular close. Through free events, workshops, and performances including live music, dance, spoken word and drag, the festival will celebrate the beauty, colour, and diversity that makes up British horticulture and culture. Up-and-coming and renowned artists from Birmingham and beyond will perform under the shelter of giant architectural trees and surrounded by thousands of colourful plants.
&nbsp;
The groups involved in the mass growing project reflect the diversity of Birmingham&rsquo;s communities, ranging from youth to elderly groups, from expert gardeners to total beginners, including refugee groups, women&rsquo;s groups, and disability action groups. Among the local communities involved include Saheli Hub, a women and girls group focused on community wellbeing; Kinmos, a mental health charity; Women with Hope, a charity dedicated to improving the lives of women asylum-seekers, refugees and migrants; Open Theatre, working with young people with learning disabilities on non-verbal physical theatre; the Czech and Slovak Club, which promotes the welfare and culture of the Czech and Slovak community living in UK; the volunteer growing group Highbury Orchard Community; and Birmingham Cathedral.
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Amanda Clinton, a youth leader involved in the project with The Factory Young People's Centre, said:
<blockquote>
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s fantastic to be part of this PoliNations project. Gardening has helped me through difficult times and I want to teach my young people the mental health benefits of gardening, by getting outside with them and growing for PoliNations. We can&rsquo;t wait to see our marigolds flowering in the pop-up garden this autumn.&rdquo;
</blockquote>
Angie Bual, Creative Director, Trigger said,
<blockquote>
&ldquo;We are so pleased to be working with such a diverse range of community groups across Birmingham for this co-growing project, which is a key part of the festival and its ethos. PoliNations is about celebrating the beauty, colour, and diversity that make up British horticulture and culture. For this particular project, we chose Marigolds, known as Shakespeare&rsquo;s favourite plant and much-loved around the world. They are used in celebrations from Mexico to India, in food, and in medicine and have equally diverse origins.&rdquo;
</blockquote>
The idea for PoliNations grew from a simple but surprising fact: over 80% of the plants found in UK cities&rsquo; gardens originate from overseas. Across the festival programming, visitors will be invited to learn more about the incredible biodiversity of plant-life in the UK, the importance of our green spaces, and celebrate the equally colourful roots, journeys and histories of British people. In addition to live performances and talks, PoliNations will present a programme of events ranging from costume-making workshops with Joey Frenette (RuPaul&rsquo;s Drag Race) and Clary Salandy (Notting Hill Carnival) to garden tours, story-telling, light shows, and more.
&nbsp;
Trigger Collective, a multidisciplinary creative team of experts in horticulture, arts, science and architecture will be supported by local trainees to develop PoliNations across design, architecture, costume, sound, and production. The team is also collaborating with treasured local and national organisations to help bring the pop-up garden to life, including partnerships with the <a href="https://www.birminghambotanicalgardens.org.uk" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Birmingham Botanical Gardens</a>, <a href="https://www.bcu.ac.uk/conservatoire">Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, part of Birmingham City University</a>, the poetry and spoken word festival <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p058nfry">BBC Contains Strong Language</a>, <a href="https://www.paradisebirmingham.co.uk">Paradise Birmingham</a>, and the <a href="https://www.dishoom.com">Bombay-inspired restaurant group Dishoom</a>.
The festival programme, which will be announced in June, is poised to showcase a stellar mix of talent including Birmingham&rsquo;s much loved drag performer Yshee Black. As part of her role as PoliNations Associate Artist, Yshee Black said she plans to bring together &ldquo;a group of creatives from the world of Drag, dance and cabaret to celebrate the growth of the city, the people who inhabit the midlands, and personal growth to create a better lasting society for future generations&rdquo;.
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For those who cannot access the festival, as well as those who can, the PoliNations app, designed by agency Peter &amp; Paul, is set to launch this summer. Audiences will be able to step into a virtual super garden, create flowers that are based on your thoughts and feelings and watch them come to life in augmented reality.
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PoliNations is one of 10 major creative projects commissioned as part of UNBOXED: Creativity in the UK, which are the result of collaboration across science, technology, engineering, arts and maths and bringing hundreds of free events and activities across the UK in 2022. PoliNations is presented as part of Birmingham 2022 Festival in collaboration with Birmingham City Council.
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Martin Green, Chief Creative Officer at UNBOXED: Creativity in the UK and Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, said,
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&ldquo;PoliNations perfectly embodies the two primary objectives of UNBOXED: to celebrate creativity and to bring people together. Their brilliant work with local communities is only the beginning of what will be a powerful celebration of the many facets of creativity and UK culture, as well as an awe-inspiring and joyous experience for diverse audiences.&rdquo;
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Hundreds of locals start growing marigolds for PoliNations

This year between March and October, the United Kingdom will experience <a class="body-link" href="https://unboxed2022.uk/" data-vars-ga-outbound-link="https://unboxed2022.uk/">Unboxed</a>. The one-of-a-kind government celebration is made up of <a class="body-link" href="https://unboxed2022.uk/explore" data-vars-ga-outbound-link="https://unboxed2022.uk/explore">10 large-scale</a>art projects pushing forward ideas in science, technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematics designed to create a larger-than-life experience. But for Angie Bual, the creative director of <a class="body-link" href="https://polinations.com/" data-vars-ga-outbound-link="https://polinations.com/">PoliNations</a>, which will create a surreal urban forest in Birmingham, the idea of art as a form of social good isn&rsquo;t a new concept. Whether it&rsquo;s creating <a class="body-link" href="https://www.withyou.org.uk/" data-vars-ga-outbound-link="https://www.withyou.org.uk/">an app that</a> creates playlists and personal messages for people in the hospital or constructing large-scale theater and art with the <a class="body-link" href="https://www.instagram.com/trigger_stuff/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-vars-ga-outbound-link="https://www.instagram.com/trigger_stuff/">Trigger Stuff</a> collective, she&rsquo;s seen art&rsquo;s power to create connections.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m interested more in the audience than I am the art form,&rdquo; Bual says. &ldquo;I have to make art for a reason. And I think there&rsquo;s a bit of reticence against art taking on the role of social care, social housing, social good because of the public funding that we received, but for me, I think [making] art out of all types of things [is] great. But for me personally, I&rsquo;m driven by issues and driven by frustration. I&rsquo;m driven by trying to solve a problem. And that&rsquo;s how I come up with the ideas that we create.&rdquo;
<a title="" href="https://www.shondaland.com/act/a39797412/5-women-working-for-social-good/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Read the full feature&nbsp;</a>

Angie Bual Website New 1

Angie Bual interviewed as one of Shondaland's '5 Women Working for Social Good'

<h5>The fall of the Colston Statue was one of the main inspirations behind PoliNations.</h5>
Following the trial, our Creative Director Angie Bual joined other <a title="" href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Bristol?src=hashtag_click" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#Bristol</a> locals in discussing what the verdict means to them and spoke to the BBC saying:
&ldquo;To be found not guilty of something that we literally saw happen, it did surprise me.&nbsp;But I think it was a bold decision and is validating.&nbsp;We're one of the most unequal societies in Britain.&nbsp;We have to revisit our history to understand why we are a multicultural nation.&nbsp;We've been trying to get it pulled down or the name changed since the '70s and it took an act like this to take it away.&nbsp;Our legal system has acknowledged that citizens can have a role in their future.&nbsp;I think it is enough. We don't need to pull down any more statues.&rdquo;
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&ldquo;We're one of the most unequal societies in Britain.&nbsp;We have to revisit our history to understand why we are a multicultural nation.&rdquo;&nbsp;Angie Bual
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<a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-59969039">Read the full feature</a>.

Angie Baul, Creative Director of PoliNations and Artistic Director of Trigger

Colston Four verdict: What should happen next?

<h5>Our Creative Director Angie Bual and Professor Jane Memmott discuss the inspiration behind PoliNations and how the themes of botany and seed dispersal connect with Scottish history.</h5>
&ldquo;PoliNations was inspired by the toppling of the Edward Colston statue in Bristol during the Black Lives Matter movement. It made us think about how and why we are such a multicultural nation and ways to tell this story better. Obviously it made us think about slavery, which has links to Edinburgh and Glasgow in particular, then empire and colonialism and migration, but we wanted to look at it in a more positive and accessible way. So we decided to use plants as a metaphor for the multicultural vibrancy that has been brought to the UK and invite us to reimagine our societies as more diverse, greener and wilder places to be.&rdquo;
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&ldquo;&hellip;while the festival brings all of this imperial history to light, it&rsquo;s not about making people feel guilty or bad. It&rsquo;s about educating and highlighting things many of us know nothing about but that actually directly affect us in our daily lives so we can be more informed.&rdquo; Angie Bual
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Professor jane Memmott also explains the history behind some of the everyday plants you may not have realised aren&rsquo;t native to Scotland and the UK, such as apple trees, potatoes, roses, Douglas fir trees and more.
<a href="https://www.sundaypost.com/fp/putting-down-roots-festival-to-celebrate-the-immigrant-plants-of-scotland-as-almost-80-of-city-plants-hail-from-overseas/">Read the full article.</a>

Various people relaxing under a canopy of synthetic trees in the centre of Birmingham

Putting Down Roots: Festival to celebrate the immigrant plants of Scotland as almost 80% of city plants hail from overseas

<h5>Birmingham Live get excited about our &lsquo;bold plan to create a giant forest-garden in Victoria Square&rsquo; as PoliNations heads to Birmingham in 2022!&nbsp;</h5>
&lsquo;A major cultural event to be held in Birmingham after the Commonwealth Games will show how the city's human diversity is reflected in gardens across the UK.
PoliNations will celebrate 'the extraordinary diversity of the UK's people and plants' as part of an exploration of migration.
As well as creating a forest in Victoria Square, collaborative projects and performances will include evening light shows. Educational tents will provide 'havens' for visitors to learn about people of all genders, ethnicity and religions. There will also be a Glam Dome - featuring leading Drag costume designer Bourgeoisie&nbsp;(RuPaul&rsquo;s Drag Race) for Drag makeovers.
The forest-garden will feature &lsquo;Hybrid Tea Rose&rsquo; (hybridised China and Asian forms), classic &lsquo;Weeping Willows&rsquo; (introduced from China and the Middle East), lavender (brought over from countries around the Mediterranean), productive apple trees (imported from Kazakhstan) and tulips (Central Asia). The plants will be co-grown and co-planted with local schools and community groups.
Each day there will be forest tours, audio baths, light shows, talks and performances while the towering &lsquo;supertrees&rsquo; will capture rainwater and create electricity through wind power to deliver a low carbon event.&rsquo;
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Organisers say the event - to be held in Victoria Square next September &ndash; &lsquo;has been inspired by the pandemic as well as 'the long-awaited reckoning of the impacts of slavery, empire and colonialism through the Black Lives Matter movement protests'.
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<a href="https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/victoria-square-forest-garden-40ft-22238048">Read the full article</a>.&nbsp;

Large sculpture being lifted out of Victoria Square

Victoria Square to get a forest-garden with 40ft trees and 'Drag' makeover dome

<h5>The Guardian showcase the ten UNBOXED commissions, highlighting PoliNations as a celebration of the multicultural origins of the UK&rsquo;s people and plants.</h5>
Ten projects selected from nearly 300 submitted ideas form a &ldquo;once-in-a-lifetime&rdquo; extravaganza, according to Martin Green, Unboxed&rsquo;s chief creative officer, who was the head of ceremonies for the 2012 London Olympics.
He said it was the UK&rsquo;s &ldquo;biggest and most ambitious public creative programme to date. Unboxed represents an unprecedented and timely opportunity for people to come together across the UK and beyond and take part in awe-inspiring projects that speak to who we are and explore the ideas that will define our futures.&rdquo;
Free events will take place &ldquo;from the Outer Hebrides to Dover, and from Omagh to Swansea, right across the UK&rdquo; between March and October next year, said Green. Thousands of schoolchildren will take part in competitions and educational programmes, and hundreds of jobs and &ldquo;opportunities for emerging talent&rdquo; will be created.
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&ldquo;As the programme unfolds, it will both entertain us and inspire us to imagine what the future might hold.&rdquo; Dame Vikki Heywood, the chair of the Unboxed board.
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<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2021/oct/21/ten-projects-chosen-for-unboxed-creativity-in-the-uk-festival">Read the full article</a>.&nbsp;

Ten projects chosen for ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ UK festival of creativity

<h5>Birmingham Live announce PoliNations as an &lsquo;ecological celebration of diversity&rsquo; with promise to ignite the senses and deepen understanding of our shared history.</h5>
&lsquo;A spectacular forest garden used to represent diversity is set to be unveiled in Birmingham city centre in 2022. The monumental pop-up, known as "PoliNations", is a celebration of multiculturalism through the biodiversity of plant life.
The immersive forest will be filled with real and architectural trees as well as plants, grasses and flowers grown in collaboration with local communities. From daisies to horse chestnut trees and dahlias to the English rose, many of the plants that we consider to be part of the UK landscape originate overseas.
PoliNations &ndash; also part of the <a href="https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/commonwealth-games-2022-announce-festival-21602913">Birmingham 2022 Festival</a> &ndash; will celebrate the global origins of the UK&rsquo;s plants and population. It will feature immersive installations, live music, talks and performances next summer and autumn.&nbsp;
The event will culminate in a party that brings together the spirit of the Notting Hill Carnival, Pride and Mela with the joyous anarchy of Thailand's Songkran celebrations and the Hindu festival Holi.&rsquo;
<blockquote>
"PoliNations celebrates the colour and vibrancy that plants and flowers have brought to the UK and invites us to reimagine our cities as greener and wilder places to be" Angie Bual
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<a href="https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/spectacular-forest-garden-created-birmingham-21924436">Read the full article</a>.

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Drum roll..... the PoliNations programme is here!

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