The Great Imagining Phase One

The Great Imagining Phase One

This November, a pioneering exhibition is taking place in the heart of Canning Town in East London. It is showcasing ideas for a Greener Fairer Wiser future created by young people, artists and experts from across the United Kingdom and beyond. This exhibition will be the first of dozens that will take place next year as we pilot The Great Imagining in schools and museums around the UK and beyond.

Thanks to a few larger pledges both on here and into the bank we are now on track to meet our targets for the exhibition. But there is lots of work to be done to ensure our vision is to be realised in these turbulent times. So keep pledging and let's stretch the goal back to the original £30,000 so we can attract match funding for our spring pilot.

Who is involved and what will be happening?

We are sharing a brief with young people, associate artists and brilliant organisations from around the UK and beyond. This brief explores the provocation - 'What does a greener, fairer, wiser future look and feel like?' We are inviting a guest list that will range from Newham students to Museum Directors and TV producers.

Hampton Court Palace: Students from The Royal School of Needlework will be embroidering the future.

Birmingham: students from 5 schools will working with Handsworth Association of Schools discovering a low carbon future.

South-West London:  podcasts from the allotments about the future of community agriculture.

The Netherlands youth arts collective Re-Peat bringing a special scent of  peatbogs all the way from the Chile Pavilion at the Venice Biennale.

Manchester:: refugee-led Sheba Arts, capture the dramatic imaginings of sixth formers on film. 

Swansea the creative imaginings of GS Artists

Uganda: young people from Ayowecca exploring restored ecosystems through animation.

Hackney: young coders developing greener travel applications. 

Australia: indigenous dreaming from the Cultural Gardeners  

Brazil: Stories of indigenous life from and even from the heart of the Amazon. 

Walthamstow: artist designed money with a story of local power & microgrids.

Kent: A Solar Energy Amplifier invented by 8-year-old Arthur

and many many more....

What will be in the exhibition?

As well as films, podcasts, smells, tastes and textures, there will be objects and artworks, information and stories, workshops and imagination trails. Future food will be prepared by our guest chefs. Three days of workshops and learning adventures.

“The Great Imagining is a bridge between young people’s current world-views and the possibility of a future they didn’t realise was available.” – Shayini, GCSE student, Ilford.

Why are we doing this?

This first exhibition of The Great Imagining is action research. What it is like to make, as well as experience, an interactive young-person-centred futures’ exhibition? 

This will attract the partners and the funding to enable it to flourish all the way to the national launch in November 2023.

How is it going to work?

We are raising £30,000 in order to create the best possible partnerships to facilitate these regional projects; to provide young people with dynamic tools and resources; to empower young people to create artistic responses to some of the worlds 

The funding will also ensure that the research resources are as rigorous as possible so that young people are really well-informed as they begin their journey of debate and imagination.

To motivate brilliant thinking, laser focus and dynamic energy, we will be inviting inspirational leaders from all sectors to select and highlight their standout ideas to be developed for the next iteration.

What is our timeline?

November 2022: Our first exhibition in East London

• All contributions will be uploaded to our searchable The Great Imagining Earth website.
• Evaluation and  learning taken forward to the Spring Pilot.

Spring 2023: Our first prototype learning website and 2nd phase pilots

Summer 2023: Third phase pilots and summer schools

November 2023: THE NATIONAL LAUNCH

What is our BIG vision?

Imagination teams of all ages will be prototyping, piloting and growing The Great Imagining with the ambition of making an annual, televised festival that will take place  in businesses, museums, cultural centres, community spaces and schools throughout the UK and beyond.

The teams will dive into their chosen topics to research, imagine and share. They will explore radical projects, global innovations and new ways of living from the other side of the globe to right here at home. 

Then, working alongside experienced artists, designers, theatre makers and experts, they will be designing and building public exhibitions together. 

This creative response to their imaginings will empower both the wider community as well as policy makers to make braver decisions. 

We need your support now: £30,000 for phase one. 

JOIN the United Council of The Future

This is our community structure to nourish and tend The Great Imagining and ensure it flourishes. Taking inspiration from nature, we are going to be working with a mycelium network of organisations, experts, scientists, creatives and well wishers of all ages who will tend to The Great Imagining.  We will be sending monthly and quarterly updates to keep you up to date with progress: we want to hear from you.

Please pledge now and join us in regenerating imagination.

Who are we?

The Great Imagining is being developed by young peoples arts charity The House of Fairy Tales: Charity registration number: 1140334.

see more about The Great Imagining here

see more about our previous work with The House of Fairy Tales here