Exhibition set to showcase best of bamboo

Taking place from July 1 to 4, the Imagine Bamboo Summit is presented by the Birmingham 2022 Festival and invites the people of Birmingham and beyond to see structures, stories and circus performances built, made and imagined with UK-grown bamboo.

The summit is an international adventure, bringing together artists, craftspeople, growers and communities from the UK, India, Ghana and Bali, alongside performers and engineers from Nofit State, the UK’s leading contemporary circus theatre company.

Orit Azaz, Artistic Director of Imagine Bamboo said: “Over the last two years we’ve been collaborating with people nationally and internationally to explore the potential of bamboo as an inspiring material bringing people together in new ways, continuing the work begun through Bridge 2019-21.

“Bamboo grows across the globe, including in the UK and Europe, and is widely held by a growing network of engineers, architects and activists to be ‘the future sustainable building material for the planet’.

"We look forward to sharing our discoveries and inviting more people to get involved at the Imagine Bamboo Summit.”

Louisa Davies, senior producer for Birmingham 2022 Festival said, “Birmingham 2022 will be the first Commonwealth Games to create a carbon neutral legacy, so it is fitting that Birmingham 2022 Festival includes a number of projects that foreground nature and sustainability.

"Birmingham is truly a city of nature; home to 3,500 hectares of parkland, with plant life springing up in post-industrial spaces, as they rewild.

"This incredible project connects experts in India, Ghana and Bali with creatives and communities in Birmingham to exchange skills and stories on an equal platform and lay the foundations for continued collaboration around the use of bamboo as a sustainable building material.”

Full programme details will be available via imagine-bamboo.co.uk from mid-June and will include talks, workshops and bamboo makes.