Taking Root is a collaborative community growing project that explores the relationship that people living in the UK have with bamboo plants as a sustainable material, as a carbon sink, and its role and ours in tackling the climate crisis.
Over 50 residents across Birmingham, Stoke-on-Trent, Newcastle-under-Lyme and Liverpool City Region collectively grew a set of young Borinda bamboo plants at home while remotely coordinating with each other on the growing process. While growing at home, participants (Bamboo Parents) used the project’s digital platform to share growing tips while learning about the environmental impact of bamboo. Later on, as a symbol of their collective commitment to tackling the climate crisis, Bamboo Parents gathered together and let their bamboo plants take root in various urban spaces in their cities.
The Borinda bamboo plants nurtured by the bamboo parents originated from mountainous Tibet. It was then propagated in Shropshire(UK) by UK bamboo expert Michael Brisbane. Borinda bamboo has potential to thrive in the UK as a strong and sustainable material with many uses in industry, regeneration and design. It also has a powerful capacity for capturing carbon.
The pilot version was tested in late 2021 where 18 residents from Birmingham began growing a set of UK-grown baby Borinda bamboo plants at home as part of a 6-month growing experiment.
During the 6 months, participants (Bamboo Parents) used the project’s digital web platform to coordinate on the growing process, share growing tips with the help of plant experts, and learn about the impact of bamboo on the climate.
In a grand Planting Ceremony in April 2022, the Bamboo Parents brought their plants to take root in Winterbourne House & Garden in Birmingham, as a symbol of their collective commitment to tackling the climate crisis.
Special Thanks To:
All the participants who took part in the project
Artistic Director of Imagine Bamboo – Orit Azaz
Producer of Imagine Bamboo – Claire Maddocks
UK Bamboo Expert – Michael Brisbane
Taking Root is a project by Ling Tan and is part of the creative development of Imagine Bamboo, an ambitious arts, engineering and community project for 2022, produced by Imagineer Productions, supported by Arts Council England. In partnership with Winterbourne House and Garden, University of Birmingham, Appetite, Culture Liverpool and Liverpool City Region Combined Authority.
