Two years ago, the artistic project Performing the Future (devised by Frank Abbott and myself) considered public space with no agenda and how we might think about risk and environmental change. Now these issues have deepened, becoming confusingly, tragically real. We are left trying to respond to the impact of the global pandemic, to find ways in our current anguish to think about Spring and the future.
Because of the global and national lockdown resulting from Covid-19, the Future Machine was unable to appear in Nottingham’s Christ Church Gardens when the cherry trees blossom. For the past two years, members of the community have celebrated this re-awakening in early April.
In spite of this, some people in Nottingham continue to track and follow the tree. All videos and documentation are here: http://christchurchgardens.whenthefuturecomes.net/
Information about previous years’ blossom celebration is here.
Let us hope that Springs of the future will see us gathering in joy and renewal under April’s blossoms, to bask in the wonders of the cherry tree returning to fruition.
Update by Rachel Jacobs, Ph.D.