Flailing Trees at Manchester Peace Gardens 3rd to 19th July

Gustav Metzger's commission for the second Manchester International Festival turns nature on its head.

Metzger's installation is set to be one of the biggest talking points of the second Manchester International Festival. The installation in Manchester's Peace Garden will feature 21 willow trees that have been stripped of their canopies and inverted to leave their dying roots stretching up to the sky.

The piece explores the desperate need for change in the way humans interact with nature, inspired by the destruction of rainforests and the growing threat of climate change. Its subject ties in with The Manchester Report, another festival commission which will explore 12 proposals for tackling climate change through a series of presentations before members of the public and some of the world's foremost scientists.

Flailing Trees will show throughout the festival before transferring to its new home in the gardens of the Whitworth Art Gallery, where it will stand as a permanent reminder of the links between nature, art and human responsibility.