Family Flourish Day: Harvest
At the start of September over 200 of our friends joined us to say farewell to summer and mark the end of our Flourish programme with a harvest-themed Family Flourish Day!
Photos: Tom Arber
This special day was all about gathering, nurturing and showcasing the diverse stories and creative spirit of a community in bloom.
Photos: Molly McGee
We were joined by a bunch of talented performers and artists throughout the day, including…
Comissioned artist Carrieanne Vivianatte took us on a journey through the patterns and unpredictable nature of the four seasons in "The Changes of the Seasons,". Her engaging and playful performance invited us to ponder our relationship with the planet and encouraged us to treat the Earth with a little more kindness.
‘Silent Birdsong’ was a collaborative intervention from commissioned artist Monika Dutta. Monika guided us in decorating our own willow bird frames and asked us to consider what our bird might sing, or say, if they knew we could understand. Once completed our birds were added to the garden, forming an installation that grew throughout the day.
‘Hive’, from commissioned artist Nada Ibrahim, was an art installation that combined photography of beehives and sculptures. The interactive installation also gave participants the chance to make their own beehive planters and paint paper lanterns to take home with them.
Taiwanese performance artist Howl Yuan shared ‘100 Times to Say Goodbye’ a reflective, 1-on-1 performance that focused on farewells and the ways we say goodbye. Howl’s piece invited you to share things or people you want to say goodbye to but haven’t yet had the chance to.
The award-winning Potternewton Park Rollers joined us to get the party started with their unique skate dancing skills and a lead fun rollerskating workshop for all ages and abilities.
We also got creative with plants and flowers growing in our neighbourhood at Michaela Lesayova’s plant-based print workshop, celebrated the art of gardening with Maha Alomari’s gel and lino printmaking activity, danced to music from Sable Radio throughout the day, browsed the vibrant veg on offer at Matilya’s Lincoln Greeners harvest stall and enjoyed some delicious food courtesy of Irene’s catering.
Photos: Tom Arber
The Family Flourish Day was commissioned by Leeds 2023 as part of My Word, My City, My Neighbourhood and was held in partnership with Leeds City Council and Lincoln Green and Mabgate Neighbourhood Fund.
Flourish is the culmination of 2 years of work to transform a disused playground into a space for residents to play, perform and grow in. The Roxby Community Garden has been created in partnership with Leeds City Council with support from Veolia Environmental Trust, Horticon, Leeds 2023 and Arts Council England.