Saturday 14 March / 2pm – 4pm / Open Eye Gallery / RSVP Spaces are limited. If you're unable to attend, please return your ticket at Eventbrite Paul Harfleet will guide a gathered group on a small planting pansy tour, marking sites of homophobia and transphobia. The curated selection of locations will be within walking distance of Open Eye Gallery. After the tour we will return to Open Eye Gallery for a presentation on The Pansy Project given by Paul Harfleet, followed by a Q&A session and a chance to talk.
Paul Harfleet has been planting pansies at sites of homophobic and transphobic abuse since 2015. Through this quiet yet powerful act, the ongoing project gently confronts hate crime and brings visibility to LGBTQ+ experiences that often go unreported. Read more at thepansyproject.com.
For this event, Paul Harfleet is seeking further locations to mark with pansies that come directly from the local LGBTQ+ community. If you have a location that you would like to be marked with one unmarked pansy planted at the location where an LGBTQ+ hate crime has occurred, please submit it through the Google Form. You will need to supply the nature of the experience (this can be a quote from the assailant or a short description of what happened) and the exact location (postcode is useful). The artist will find the nearest source of soil to plant the pansy. The subsequent photograph will be entitled after the quote or after what happened; this title should be as brief as possible. Locations can be supplied anonymously or on someone’s behalf. The artist will select from the locations supplied based on the nature of the abuse, location, and logistics of his visit. The artist may return at a later date to plant pansies that were not managed during this event.
This event is in partnership with Homotopia.
This event is part of LOOK Climate Lab 2026, a biennial programme by Open Eye Gallery.
We encourage you to use public transport or carpooling when getting to the events.
Open Eye Gallery is a short walk from the Liverpool ONE shopping centre and the Albert Dock.
By train. We are 20 minutes walk from Lime Street station. James Street station, served by Wirral Line trains, is a two minute walk. Moorfields station, served by the Northern and Wirral Lines, is a five minute walk. Visit Merseytravel for details of local train services.
By bus. The nearest bus and coach station is at Liverpool ONE, served by National Express coaches. Merseytravel has details of local bus services.
By ferry. The gallery is two minutes walk from the Pier Head Ferry Terminal, from which Mersey Ferries run regular services to the Wirral.
By bicycle. There are bicycle bays close to the gallery.
If you wish to offset the carbon footprint of your travel, you can do it with Carbon Neutral Britain, Carbon Footprint, Forest Carbon, My Carbon Plan or any other project that you trust.