Beautiful weather always helps for a festival but if theres nothing of substance about the festival the weather becomes irrelevant. And this was in my opinion was the best ever Green Festival in Peterborough since it began too many years ago for me to remember. I was there to create the second version of FLORALIA, (the first being in an international exhibition in London FLUX in February 2015) on the steps of the iconic Guildhall in Cathedral square facing the fabulous Peterborough Cathedral.
The aim was create an installation that was full of colour and flowers that people wanted to have their photograph taken with and that aim was achieved with many of the good people of Peterborough loving the work and getting in close to have their pictures taken with the goddess FLORALIA. More of the ideas and thoughts about this installation are in a previous blog and I am not going to repeat myself here!
“Floralia is stunning,sitting on the stone steps,surrounded by music technology and sounds,Floralia is beautiful,tranquil and inspiring.An image I will take away” Nicky Morgan Arts Council.
I had little chance to see most of the festival but what I did see was great-I loved the music some of which will be heard again at The Willow Festival in July-I loved the little bird boxes with key rings in them that you picked one with a quote that connected with you-Art in the Heart were doing some workshops and showing off some of the amazing art created by artists in Peterborough-The Green Backyard also always create great interest. I heard lots of great feedback from the public as we talked about what they had been doing and seeing and this is a fabulous thing about this festival being in Cathedral square-it attracts those who wouldn’t make an effort to go to the festival elsewhere!
There was also lots of inspirational art being created elsewhere that I am sad I didn’t get to see and thats a great innovation this year. I have always believed that to bring new audiences you need to do something different and art can bring people who love art into a new area like the environment that can be a bit scary to them and vice versa!
Thank you to everyone who organised the festival-its a hard often thankless task but no festival can happen without it.
If you are interested in having FLORALIA at your event please get in touch. Each time is different depending on location and the event you are planning!
Funded by Peterborough Presents