'Hazelnuts do not grow on a dead planet' | 'Planet Summer' | Southbank Centre, London

Professional banner-maker Ed Hall has created banners for campaigns, artists, and trade unions for almost forty years. In 2020 he made a Julian-themed banner for the Norwich Arts Centre, part of a series to accompany Jeremy Goldstein’s ‘Truth to Power Café’ performances around the UK, featured in the Friends’ Easter newsletter (pictured below)

The South Bank Centre in London recently commissioned Ed to create three new banners for their summer festival Planet Summer with climate change as its theme.

Ed writes about how the words of Julian of Norwich inspired him to create one of them:

“Discussion about climate change is wide ranging, but the plain facts are very stark. We could wreck our own planet, the only home we have. When I was talking to the South Bank, the writings of Julian were so relevant. She wrote of the need to care for the whole of creation, and famously used the hazelnut to illustrate the importance of every living thing. A group of musicians use the slogan ‘there is no music on a dead planet’. I adapted this, and using words inspired by Julian’s ‘Revelations’, created the banner ‘Hazelnuts do not grow on a dead planet’.

'Planet Summer' runs until 3rd September.  More information can be foundhere

Read about Ed Hall here