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Taking Root is a participatory project that explores the relationship that people living in the UK have with bamboo plants as a sustainable material and as a carbon sink, and its role and ours in tackling the climate crisis. Over 6 months, 18 local residents from Birmingham collectively grew a set of young Borinda bamboo plants at home while coordinating with each other on the growing process. They shared growing tips and learned about the impact of bamboo on the climate through a digital platform. In a grand Planting Ceremony in Spring 2022, the bamboo parents brought their plants back to take root in Winterbourne Garden, to act as a symbol of their collective commitment to tackling the climate crisis.
On this website, you will find some of the resources that participants are given during the growing phase.
Bamboo Stories
What is your relationship with Bamboo? Do you have an interesting bamboo story to share with everyone? Tell us here!
Tell Us Your Story About Bamboo!
Share with us your story below and click Submit
Growing Bamboo Community
Find out where other Bamboo Growers are in your neighbourhood or other places in the UK and help us locate new Bamboo growers in your community! Each circle on the map is an indication of where the bamboo grower is located, the exact location is kept confidential.
Expand Our UK Bamboo Community!
Do you know a grower, plant nursery, shop, school or even a friend or neighbour who is growing bamboo, producing or selling bamboo product? Tell us about it! Write down as much information as possible about it, when you are done, click Submit.
Bridge2Bamboo
Find out more about the wider project – Bridge2Bamboo, an ambitious arts, engineering and community project for Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.
The Bamboo U Podcast
Looking for a podcast series to listen to this new year? Here’s one that is hosted by one of our international Bridge2Bamboo collaborators, Bamboo U The series brings you conversations about architecture, sustainability, design, creative thinking and bamboo. Listen to the podcast here.
Meet Ghana Bamboo Bikes
Our partners in Ghana are a socio-ecological enterprise focused on environmental and economic sustainability. They design and build a range of bamboo bicycles/frames with a touch of craftsmanship and sensitivity to service durability. They believe sustainable cycling is a way of living and not just a catch phrase – Ghana Bamboo Bikes
Rhizome Design
Meet our Commonwealth collaborator from India – Rhizome founded by Rebecca Reubens and is India’s first multidisciplinary sustainability design studio. The studio's work is at the intersection of craft, design and sustainability, and go beyond eco-design to looking at sustainability holistically.
Meet Bamboo U from Bali!
Meet one of our international collaborators on our Bridge2Bamboo project! – Bamboo U, an education enterprise that has grown out of the center of the world’s bamboo building movement in Bali, Indonesia.
Bridge2Bamboo Creative Exchange Labs
What is Bridge2Bamboo really about? Discover how we brought together an international group of bamboo enthusiasts in a series of creative exchange labs this summer. Check out the link to find out more – bridge2bamboo
Taking Root is a participatory project that explores the relationship that people living in the UK have with bamboo plants as a sustainable material and as a carbon sink, and its role and ours in tackling the climate crisis. 15 local residents from Birmingham are currently growing a set of UK-grown baby Bamboo Borinda plant at home as part of a 6-months growing experiment where they will be using a digital web platform to coordinate on the growing process, share growing tips and learn about the impact of bamboo on the climate. The process culminates in a Planting Ceremony in Spring 2022 where they will let their bamboo plant take root at the Winterbourne House & Garden, acting as a symbol of their collective commitment to tackling the climate crisis.
Taking Root is a project by Ling Tan and is part of the creative development of Bridge2Bamboo, an ambitious arts, engineering and community project for 2022, produced by Imagineer Productions, in partnership with Winterbourne House and Gardens and University of Birmingham, and supported by Arts Council England.