Forest for Change
Creating a pop-up forest in central London
The challenge
Bring the Global Goals to life
After more than a year of art and culture being kept behind closed doors, there was an opportunity to bring people together again and reconnect them with the challenges facing people and planet.
For the third London Design Biennale, Project Everyone wanted to create an experience that would capture people’s imaginations, introduce them to the Global Goals and inspire them to add their own voice to the call for urgent action.
The idea
Plant a forest where a forest had never been before
Working with artist Es Devlin and London Design Biennale, Project Everyone transformed the iconic courtyard of Somerset House into Forest for Change.
Four hundred trees created an unexpected green landscape, leading visitors towards a clearing at its centre where an interactive Global Goals installation invited them to explore the Goals and consider the changes they wanted to see in the world.
what happened
Thousands of people stepped into the forest
Throughout June 2021, Forest for Change became a living space for art, music, conversation and action.
Visitors explored the Global Goals, shared their own messages for change and experienced a programme of performances, panels and discussions featuring voices including Celeste, Sadiq Khan, Amika George and Ini Archibong.
London schoolchildren also visited for art lessons, talks about the trees and the launch of the Royal Foundation’s Generation Earthshot, while the installation attracted widespread national and international media coverage.
Result
28K
visitors explored the forest
1K+
messages for change shared
400
trees transformed Somerset House
23
varieties of tree planted
“It is our hope that an interaction with the Goals in the forest will be transformative.”
Es Devlin
Artist and Artistic Director, London Design Biennale
Credits:
London Design Biennale, Es Devlin, Scape Design, Scotscape, Beautiful Wonder, Brian Eno, John Cullen Lighting, Autograph Sound and Atelier One