Brussels’ Flower Carpet coming to Yorkshire next month

Brussels’ popular Flower Carpet is coming to Bradford – and is taking inspiration from the city’s textiles industry. Alex Wood reports.

Every two years visitors to Brussels come to marvel at the sight of hundreds of thousands of flowers laid out in a magnificent carpet across the Grand-Place.

The 24th edition of August’s Flower Carpet has now come to an end, and the massed ranks of begonias and dahlias, which have lent their ephemeral beauty and fragrance to the square, have been swept up.

In September the Flower Carpet has its UK premiere in Bradford city centre. The organisers of Bradford City of Culture are putting on a UK version, as part of a new series of nature-inspired events.

Local artist Shiraaz Ali will take inspiration from Bradford’s industrial growth and textile heritage. Shiraaz, who was in Brussels last week, told The Yorkshire Post he will be creating a “geometric mosaic representing the colours and unity of Bradford”.

The 29-metre wide artwork will be handmade from more than 300,000 colourful dahlia flowerheads.

A spokesperson for Bradford Culture Company said visitors would be able to watch as the pavements which make up Centenary Square are transformed by a “rich bed of flowers”.

Each night between September 24 and 27 a sound and light show will bring the colours to life as evening sets in.

In Brussels the flowers are tightly packed and are said to stay “remarkably fresh” over the four days “by creating their own microclimate” but on the final day they begin to wilt and dry out.

The organisers of the Bradford event say the flowerheads will be composted – completing their natural lifecycle.

The programme of nature-inspired events begins on September 8 when Baildon Moor becomes the stage for an orchestra of more than 200 rare “nature-powered” instruments.

The brainchild of composer Pierre Sauvageot, Harmonic Fields has previously been shown in Copenhagen, Marseille and Helsinki.

Instruments including windmill glockenspiels, harmonic cellos, bamboo flutes, propeller sirens, will be played by both the elements and by "wind farmer” characters.

Visitors can wander round the orchestra, stopping to listen and admire the 360-degree views.

A brand new 18-mile walking route from Ilkley Moor across the Bradford Pennine Gateway National Nature Reserve will launch on September 19.

Shorter routes led by experienced local guides will also take place on the same day.

Jane Earnshaw, Executive Producer at Bradford Culture Company, says “There has never been a more important time to shine a spotlight on our environment and natural surroundings.

"The UK is one of the world’s most nature depleted countries, and the situation is only getting worse.

"By encouraging audiences to experience art and creativity in nature, we’re not only showcasing the incredible beauty of our district, but also helping to increase people’s understanding of how significant these spaces are and why they should be protected for future generations.”