Collaboration and Sponsorship
Academic Collaboration with Local Industry
We have made a point of using local craftsmen and small companies where possible. This extended team has been a marvelous group of individuals and professionals. We feel truly blessed to have met and worked with them and extend our warmest thanks for their dedication to the project and their professionalism.
Stone Essentials is a family run stonemasonry business in Lancashire that can take on almost any stone-related project or bespoke design. Their heritage restoration projects include work on many Grade 1 and Grade 11 buildings. They pride themselves in taking the projects others turn away and enjoy the challenge of producing something original and unique. Ken Howe, founder, regularly acts as a consultant on restoration and other issues to local authorities, ecclesiastical bodies, architects, builders and individuals prior to projects commencing.
Ken and his team (Sam, Jack, and Ricky) have worked, as contractors, with us to construct the garden and with Barry Anforth, a master stonemason from Helmshore, Rossendale, have worked with John Hyatt to make the central bread oven and realize the dragon mosaic that is adapted from an ancient Chinese design, researched by Zhou.
Dave O'Keefe is a welder and blacksmith working in Dunham Massey, Cheshire. He has produced the steel decking to Ed Bennis' design and created our pavilion, interpreting an idea that we had for a 'wire-frame design' construction that adapted the traditional wooden pavilion design with an eye towards the steel skeletons of massive urban expansion that characterize contemporary China's major cities.
We purchased the majority of our plants locally from Ladybrook Nurseries. However, in order to show a small selection of plants from a vast country, we have used far more than you would ever find in a Chinese garden.
Big meets Small for Innovative Development
We have also tried and succeeded to link the large and international with the small and local business creating new friendships, collaborations and innovation. MIRIAD have worked with Toby Savage and Tom Saville of Arup at the Manchester office of the international consulting engineers. Arup have been responsible for much of the contemporary construction in China and many public art projects in the UK, such as the 'Angel of the North' and public artworks in Liverpool for Capital of Culture, but we have turned their eyes towards the small rather than the Olympic-scale innovation. A three-way collaboration has been developed between MIRIAD, Arup, and Richard Cansdale of SWS Filtration Ltd. of Morpeth. Together, inspired by the garden, we have developed a new type of hand-driven ecological water pump. MIRIAD had the idea, Arup brokered a process, and Richard invented the actual ecological hand-pump which he named, the 'Yin-Yang Pump'. The prototype was made through tinkering around with scrap bits and bobs – the piston was a perforated coffee tin!
Ex-educationalist, Richard, alongside running his company, does charitable projects and makes pumps for helping in drought-stricken Africa. He has realized that the 'Yin-Yang Pump' is exactly what they need in Malawi, where water is not too far below the surface of the Earth and he is taking all the parts out there to run tutorials on how to build our pump! So, small can be beautiful and useful too.
Toby Savage from Arup worked with MIRIAD to design a high tensile canopy. It is a unique and original design, fabricated for us by Tensilefabric.co.uk. The sail gives not only structure, but also colour to the garden. It is printed with an especially painted 2008 original oil painting, entitled 'The Source', by John Hyatt, one of the nation's foremost painters. We have also used the painting for our volunteers' T-shirts! It depicts a garden paradise scene from the garden's 'Tale of the Little Handkerchief Tree' (available as a children's story in a separate publication), showing Ping and Mei, the philosopher and his love.
Academic Collaboration
With regard to Erica Wright's ceramic tiles, MIRIAD would like to acknowledge the advice and help of Paula Adams, of South Trafford College.
'The Tale of the Little Handkerchief Tree' was read with and tested for narrative coherence by the teachers and children of Elworth CE Primary, arranged by Public Engagement Manager and MMU Beacon Developer: Sam Gray and MMU Cheshire's Eddie Lea. MIRIAD thanks Acting Headteacher, Karen Samples, for her support and collaboration. During an afternoon workshop of narrative read by Hyatt and art, including demonstrations of Chinese calligraphy by Tongyu Zhou, the children of the school impersonated herons and frogs and produced the handkerchief wishes for the return of the philosopher's love that have inspired the creation of the embroidered handkerchiefs that hang and jingle from the branches of our Davidia in the garden.
Local Sponsorship
We have been pleased to accept the sponsorship of Ashley Reclamation of Brickhill Lane, Ashley, Altrincham, Cheshire, WA15 OQF (0161 941 6666) for the decorative aggregates used in the garden; the sculptural sandstone used for Erica Wright's pieces; the reclaimed flags for the base of the contemporary steel pavilion; and the Rose Quartz crystal, symbolizing love, for the central garden path. MIRIAD would sincerely like to thank Andrew and Mary Daniel for their support.
2008 RHS Flower Show Tatton
23 - 27 July 2008
Tatton Park, near Knutsford, Cheshire
Site: C69
