MAK is delighted to have the support of the Eden Project. This developed through our relationship with Manchester band Elbow who performed at Eden.
In February 2004 MAK was invited to a residency with Transforming Violence at Eden. One month later landscape architect, Jane Knight paid her first visit to Kosovo and drew up her design for the Peace Park in consultation with the community. In July a highly successful workshop was held at Eden involving 3 Kosovars evacuated to Manchester and other MAK members, the mayor and deputy major of Podujeva, and many specialist staff from the Eden Project. In October Jane and also Sue Hill, Artistic Director of the Eden project, worked on the Peace Park site revising the design and working closely with Visioni i Paqes, Vision of Peace, a strong group of young Kosovar painters and sculptors which formed in August 2004 to support the creation of the Peace Park. Sue and Jane judged a children's art competition of designs for the Peace Park and we planted 13,000 spring bulbs, tulips and narcissi, with the community.
Back at Eden Sue constructed a 'shrine' in honour of the Manchester Peace Park exhibited in the mild temperate biome in the Transforming Violence/Eden exhibition 'Cultivating Community' (November 11th 2004 to February 5th 2005). Meticulously crafted using debris from a disused Serb Orthodox church above the Peace Park site and Kosovar children's art Sue used thin perforated metal that once decorated the church windows to create a lantern, its square sides loosely tied with leather strips. Brightly lit inside the lantern Sue has created the Peace Park, a joyful place of natural beauty, energy and fun. This work is of great symbolic significance. This small shrine lifts spirits and gives hope and optimism to MAK, to Eden and to Kosovo.
" 'Is that it?' is a question being asked ever more frequently as people search for meaning in their lives. It is in this small sentence, yet huge yearning, that hope lies, as more and more people start to take responsibility for effecting positive change. The former British Prime Minister Lloyd George once memorably said, 'you cannot cross a chasm with tiny footsteps'. While this is true.. you might just believe that we can, if people hold hands." - Tim Smit (CEO, the Eden Project) Cultivating Community, Eden Project November 2004.
MAK is most grateful for the inspiration, ongoing encouragement and generous sharing of skills it receives from the Eden Project.