The Living Garden

The Living Garden was an Arts Council Funded curated programme of events and activities designed and delivered by Anna Francis, in collaboration with a range of creative practitioners for The Spode Rose Garden, Stoke-on-Trent between 2021 and 2022.

Description of The Living Garden:

Urban green spaces have become ever more important in terms of health and wellbeing, and we are just beginning to understand the expanded role that city green spaces play in supporting the better health of city dwellers. The Living Garden project is a programme of activity for The Spode Rose Garden in Stoke-upon-Trent, to really understand the resource assets of this beautiful garden.

From January 2021 a programme of activity will aim to use all of our human senses to explore the material qualities of the garden, as a space for humans to come together, experience nature, relax in a green environment and connect with trees, plants and wildlife.

The first workshop in January, 2021 will explore the history and physical qualities of the garden via the sense of smell. Collaborating with The Library of Olfactory Materials.
Following this, there will be a series of workshops, events and developing artworks which reveal the rose garden in a variety of multi-sensory ways.