Community, News, Sustainability | 01 July 2023
Reading Climate Festival 2023.
Read out Reading Climate Festival 2023 from the team at Kiss House.
Reading Climate Festival 2023, held in association with the UK’s Great Big Green Week, is in its third year and is growing. Partnering with the University of Reading, REDA (Reading’s Economy and Destination Agency) and Reading Borough Council, the Festival included a host of activities including a famous art installation, informative talks on climate action, performances, online events and interactive workshops. Their mission — to get communities and organisations together in Reading to tackle climate change.
As part of Reading Climate Festival, “Gaia”, the world-famous Earth artwork by Luke Jerram, was installed at Reading Town Hall. Measuring seven metres in diameter it was suspended inside Reading’s historic Concert Hall. Gaia features high-resolution NASA imagery of the Earth’s surface and is a visual representation of the fragility and beauty of the earth. The piece was brought here as a call to action for Reading to take steps to make the town net zero by 2030.
As well as the Gaia 3D exhibition, as part of the festival, Reading Central and Abbey Quarter BID (Business Improvement District) members were invited to attend a gong bath under the stunning backdrop of Luke Jerram’s Gaia Earth installation. The Kiss House attended the session which began with some yoga, Pranayama (yogic breathing) and went onto an hour-long gong bath, using sound vibration to bring a sense of relaxation. The frequencies of the gongs instantly slow down brain waves, allowing access to inner stillness and peace.
“The gong bath was incredible! If you’ve never tried one before I’d thoroughly recommend it. I felt like I was in a deep meditative state and was completely unaware of time. It was a powerful experience, heightened by being at Reading’s historic Town Hall, with Gaia suspended from the ceiling and gently rotating. ”
Siân, Kiss House
The Kiss House team also attended “The World Around Us” — a talk by Ray Mears, author, broadcaster and expert on bushcraft and survival, against the background of “Gaia”. He talked in depth about how we’re connected to every living thing on earth and noted that Reading, Britain’s biggest town, has made its own contribution to global culture.
The MERL (The Museum of English Rural Life) added some special material to their “Our Green Stories” gallery trail. It explored six of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals through links to items in the MERL collections.
In the new display, they explored these Goals through artwork from the Ladybird Books Ltd publication “Climate Change” written by King Charles, Tony Juniper and Emily Shuckburgh.The University of Reading’s Special Collections holds the artwork of Ladybird Books Ltd. If you attended, did you spot the knitted ladybirds marking the “Climate Change” artwork display?
The charity Water Fest, brought to you by Reading Borough Council, in partnership with the Kennet and Avon Canal Trust celebrated their 34th anniversary, with a programme of music, dance, activities and marking historic spots on the Kennett Canal towpath, showcasing beautifully painted boats and an opportunity to chat to the boat residents about life on board.
Other events were held as part of Reading Climate Festival, including wind turbine tours at Green Park, and school workshops like “Sustainability in the Build Environment”, as well as a Silent Disco at Reading Town Hall, under “Gaia” which Emma from our team attended with friends.
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