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Coventry University to host bamboo circus performance as part of UK Bamboo Summit
Outdoor circus theatre show BAMBOO by NoFit State Circus - photo by Luke Whitcomb
University news
Thursday 19 September 2024
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Sustainability and circus skills will collide when Coventry University hosts the UK Imagine Bamboo Summit 2024.
The event will be held at the university’s new Delia Derbyshire Building on Friday 20 September and will explore how bamboo can enable the transformation of urban environments across the UK and provide innovative net zero solutions.
The fourth annual Imagine Bamboo Summit will bring together international bamboo specialists and entrepreneurs alongside engineers, pioneers, architects, academics, artists and environmental leaders to look further into the opportunities this extraordinarily sustainable material has for the UK. The event will also use the city of Coventry as a case study to explore what ambitious projects and research could look like.
Driven by the BSc Architecture course, the summit is kicking off a wider conversation across the design disciplines. Students from courses including BA Automotive and Transport Design, BA Fashion, BA Fine Art, BA Graphic Design, BA Interior Architecture and Design, and BA Product Design have come together to explore, share, design and build with bamboo and have also been involved in an Imagine Bamboo Exhibition working with artists to create a new installation in the Delia Derbyshire Gallery.
Coming just after World Bamboo Day on 18 September, hosting this summit resonates with Coventry University Group’s ambitions around sustainability and environment. Exploring this amazingly strong, sustainable and flexible material through the creative disciplines we teach, the summit and the wider programme is acknowledging the transformative potential of bamboo as a viable alternative.
It also demonstrates the vital importance of collaboration between the creative arts and engineering in solving real world challenges around climate and the environment.
Craig Ashley, Deputy Head at Coventry University’s School of Arts and Creative Industries
As part of the summit, there will be special performances of the groundbreaking new outdoor circus theatre show BAMBOO by NoFit State Circus. Presented as part of Imagineer Production's Streets of Cov Festival, this spectacular high-impact, high-skill outdoor circus production using only bamboo and human bodies will take place outside Delia Derbyshire at 1.15pm and 5.15pm.
Dr David Trujillo, assistant professor in Coventry University’s School of The Environment, will be giving a short talk about research in the UK into the structural use of bamboo and will also be giving a demonstration showing the potential of a new generation of materials called engineered bamboo products.
I am very proud to be part of a team that has come together to host the UK Bamboo Summit in Coventry. I am very much encouraged to see how artists, architects, engineers, academics and entrepreneurs (amongst others) have come together to celebrate and promote this extraordinary resource.
We not only believe that bamboo can play a significant role in replacing carbon-intensive materials, but also has a role in enabling a regenerative economy.
Dr David Trujillo, assistant professor in Coventry University’s School of The Environment
The summit will explore how bamboo can provide innovative net zero solutions including: architectural and design innovation with a wow factor, decarbonisation of the construction industry, sustainable carbon-catching farming methods, environmental detoxification, design and business innovation, and education for future bamboo generations.
This event is just one of many milestones in our ongoing work with bamboo at Imagineer Productions. We believe bamboo is not only a sustainable resource but also a catalyst for creative expression, and the Bamboo Summit is a platform where these ideas can flourish. I can’t wait to see the exciting collaborations and bold new visions that will emerge from this gathering.
Angus MacKechnie, Creative Director and CEO, Imagineer Productions, a collaborator on the event
The summit will be held on Friday 20 September from 10am-6pm. Find out more here.
The event is a collaboration between Coventry University, Imagineer Productions, Imagine Bamboo, Atelier One and World Bamboo Day.
BAMBOO is a partnership between NoFit State, Imagineer and Orit Azaz, directed by Mish Weaver. It is supported by the Arts Council of Wales, the Foyle Foundation, and Without Walls, and commissioned by Stockton International Riverside Festival, Norfolk & Norwich Festival, Hat Fair and Timber Festival.
