Walk of the Dandelion
‘Walk of the Dandelion’ – taking hopeful steps forward
Walk of the Dandelion- taking hopeful steps forward is a family friendly, uplifting community engagement project designed to spread joy and connect people. The essence of the project is the elderly, larger-than-life puppet Daniel, who carries a dandelion-a symbol of resilience. Walk of the Dandelion is a puppetry promenade performance featuring Daniel, 3 puppeteers and 1 actor / community greeter who interacts with the audience and hands out dandelions with positive messages attached. Our supporting community workshops are designed using the five ways to wellbeing, with a special focus on building resilience. The dandelion is used as a source for visual arts and crafts, ecology, nature and sustainability.
Daniel is sustainably focused, crafted from willow, repurposed plastic milk bottles, and recycled plastic bags, demonstrating Luke Brown Company’s commitment to eco-conscious art.
The message
Luke is a gay, ADHD, neurodiverse artist with lived experience of childhood trauma from domestic abuse. The Walk of the Dandelion project has grown out of these lived experiences and Luke’s desire to promote mental health in a positive and creative way.
Yellow dandelions are a poignant symbol for Luke, they represent the inner child that was resilient and strong despite his surroundings. At times he would use nature and outdoors as a place of play and escapism. This promenade production delves into these themes with an aim to find ways to come together, check in with our loved ones, make connections, and understand that we are not alone in times of struggle.
Workshops
The Walk of the Dandelion project offers a variety of arts and health workshops that support our desire to connect with the communities we visit as a prelude to the main performance day. Workshops are followed by a full promenade performance of Walk of the Dandelion that all participants will be invited to join in with. In our workshops we use the metaphor of a dandelion to explore personal strengths and resilience.
