The Pansy Project returns to Birmingham
In association with SHOUT Queer Arts & Culture, The Pansy Project will be returning to Birmingham. The project, launched and run by artist, Paul Harfleet, plants pansies at the sites of homophobic and transphobic abuse. Each of the flowers planted is documented, titled after the words or act of abuse, and added to The Pansy Project website; allowing LGBTQ+ people to share their stories, and shining a spotlight on the hate crime and incidents that often go unreported.
There are many factors in the underreporting of hate crime for the LGBTQ+ community, as well as other intersecting protected characteristics, including: a distrust in the criminal justice system and policing, feelings that reporting won't result in an outcome, anxiety related to the process, fear of reprisals, and gaps in understanding of hate crimes vs hate incidents. Harfleet's Project is a beautifully quiet yet powerful act of giving visibility to this hate. His photographs from the project have been exhibited internationally, in various contexts.
The pansy, in reclamation of the historic slur, has become a symbol for the LGBTQ+ community in recent years. Harfleet's use of the pansies in his project not only reclaims the symbol but also reflects the strength of the community, with flowers known for their ability to grow against the odds, in cracks in concrete, surviving in harsher weather.
To date, Harfleet has planted more than 300 individual pansies around the world since beginning the project in 2005. He previously visited Birmingham in 2009, collaborating with SHOUT Festival to mark a series of anti-LGBTQ hate; further details of which can be found on the website.
The Pansy Project will be returning to Birmingham with SHOUT Festival, and Harfleet is currently seeking locations to plant new flowers. Submissions can be made via a form on the website.
While limited resources and time may prevent Paul Harfleet from marking every location submitted, the artist does promise to read every entry. Each story will also become part of the ongoing map of places that deserve remembering, even if he is not able to visit immediately.
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