Golden Tree Productions
“We do stuff that moves people.
We construct giant mechanical puppets, devise theatre, create film, produce events, tell stories, uncover hidden history, deliver training, generate online resources, write books, construct exhibitions, develop educational materials, develop partnerships, advise policy makers, repair Cornish hedges and build labyrinths . . . amongst other activities.”
Golden Tree Productions work in collaboration with audiences that are currently underengaged in heritage and arts, particularly those that are disadvantaged. They do this by masterminding cultural, educational and environmental solutions intended to make a meaningful and lasting difference to these communities.
Kerdroya
Kerdroya, their latest work, is a major new piece of permanent public art – a 56m diameter classical labyrinth built of Cornish stone hedging at Colliford Lake on Bodmin Moor. Kerdroya was the successful bid for the ‘Diamond Landscapes’ commission celebrating 60 years of the Cornwall Area of outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and 4,000 years of the humble Cornish hedge. Once complete, the visitor will walk a single, meandering path through stretches of artisan stonework that celebrate the aesthetics of distinct hedging styles from across Kernow.
The project has been funded by Cornwall Council, Cornwall AONB, the National Lottery Heritage Fund, FEAST, Cornwall Heritage Trust and Arts Council England. Kerdroya is also supported by corporate sponsors and individual hedge pledgers, making their investment in the future heritage of Kernow.
The Man Engine
The Golden Tree Productions team brought us The Man Engine in 2016, a forty-foot metal tin miner (the largest puppet ever constructed in Britain) commissioned by the Cornwall Mining World Heritage Site (CMWHS) as the centrepiece of their 2016 ‘Tinth’ anniversary programme. Awarded ‘Best Arts Project 2016’ by The National Lottery, the Man Engine celebrated Cornwall’s rich mining heritage and was witnessed by nearly 150,000 people over ten days. More than 112 million people viewed photos and videos of the spectacle across 104 countries worldwide.
Go Cornish
Go Cornish exists to give everyone in Cornwall and beyond the opportunity to learn something of the Cornish language, and to discover the culturally rich heritage of our amazing patch of the planet. Go Cornish has been awarded the ‘Cornish Language Learning
and Communication Fund’ by Cornwall Council four years in a row. There are more than 30 schools registered for the latest programme ‘Go Cornish for Primary Schools’, with over 5,000 pupils set to Go Cornish.
The Tickbox Bus
In 2019 Golden Tree Productions created The Tickbox Bus, commissioned by Cornwall Council and the Framework Convention of the Protection of National Minorities. The Tick Box Bus was created to challenge notions of ‘Cornishness’ and lobby for a Cornish tick box in the 2021 census, in a thought-provoking and entertaining way. Since its creation, more than 4.6k people have been through the bus with 94% in support of a Cornish tick box.
Find out more about Golden Tree Productions https://goldentree.org.uk/
