Members of the Rosetta Arts team attended the opening of the London Blossom Garden, a lasting living memorial to the impact of COVID-19 on our capital, last week Monday (24 May).
Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, opened the London Blossom Garden as he also announced the first phase of a new bereavement support programme to help grieving Londoners.
The London Blossom Garden, located at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, was created by the Mayor of London in partnership with the National Trust, with support from Bloomberg.
Community engagement organised by Rosetta Arts helped shape the London Blossom Garden. The community consultation sessions conducted by participants on our Artist Accelerator scheme – Sylvia Morgado, the lead artist on the project, Larissa De Filippo, Ada Jusic and Sylvie Ganachaud – used creative tools across photography, sound and music, visual arts and poetry, and illustration to collate input on the memorial from east London residents.
A total of 33 blossoming trees have been planted to create the new garden, with eight spring blossoming tree species chosen as the blossom season coincided with the first national lockdown last year.
Designed by The Edible Bus Stop and Davies White Landscape Architects, and supported by London Legacy Development Corporation, idverde and Lee Valley Regional Park Authority, the London Blossom Garden has been created to provide a place to contemplate and reflect on the impact of the pandemic, honour the vital efforts of key workers and remember those who have died.
Sadiq Khan said: “I’m immensely proud to join some of our capital’s key workers to open the London Blossom Garden.
“This new public garden is a lasting living memorial in recognition of the impact that COVID has had, and continues to have, on our city. It is a place to join together to remember the more than 19,000 Londoners who have tragically died, to reflect on our own experiences of the pandemic, to highlight how this virus has disproportionately impacted many of our communities, and to pay tribute to the ongoing efforts of our key workers.
“It continues to be an incredibly difficult time for Londoners as we battle the virus, and I want all those who have experienced loss to know that there is support available to them. Nothing will make losing someone you love any easier, but we want Londoners to know they are not alone. We are here for you, as a city.”
The Mayor was joined by Hilary McGrady, Director General of the National Trust, and key workers and their representatives from the NHS, TfL and other frontline roles in a ceremony to open the new public garden at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. The ceremony was hosted by Gardeners’ World presenter Arit Anderson, and featured poetry by Jay Bernard and a performance by the London International Gospel Choir as they remembered the more than 19,000 Londoners who have died from COVID-19.
Photograph: Sylvie Belbouab
