Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE), global civil engineering membership organisation, hosted Ikigai 2024 – a ground-breaking creative arts festival and competition that celebrates the connection between art, nature and civil engineering.
Designed to inspire meaningful connections between professionals, young people, and the environment, Ikigai 2024 was spearheaded by the ICE President, Professor Anusha Shah, and reflected her Presidential theme – Nature and People Positive.
Held on 14 October, at ICE’s historic headquarters, One Great George Street, Ikigai 2024 saw a celebration of creativity and sustainability across multiple artistic disciplines. The event also featured a sustainable fashion show, all in line with the festival’s mission to promote sustainable solutions that keep nature and people at the heart of infrastructure projects.
The Ikigai competition, open to teams composed of one person aged 18 or under and one person 18 or older, invited participants to submit works inspired by the theme of “Making connections for a nature- and people-positive world.”
Categories included poetry, songs, photography, short films, and visual arts.
What is Ikigai
Named after the Japanese concept of “Ikigai,” meaning a reason for living or a sense of purpose, the festival celebrates the driving forces that inspire individuals to create, innovate, and engage with the world around them. Professor Anusha Shah envisioned Ikigai 2024 as a way to inspire both professionals and the next generation to foster creative connections between engineering, nature, and sustainability.
Winners and Finalists
Five outstanding finalist teams were selected from London, the East of England, and South East England. Each team comprised a child-parent duo, highlighting the event’s focus on bridging generations and nurturing a shared responsibility for sustainability.
- Film Category Winner: Sia Nair (Year 9) and Krishna Ziva-Nair (Cambridge) with their entry, Let’s Reconnect, took home the top prize in the film category. Sia used Bharatanatyam, a traditional Indian dance style, blended with modern dance and environmental themes, to express her feelings about human connections, nature, and infrastructure in a captivating one-minute film.
- 1st Runner-Up (Film): Nathan Gibbs (17) and Deanne Gibbs (London), with The Reimagined Urban Jungle, showcased how green infrastructure can benefit both the environment and mental health, supported by images and captions.
- Photography 2nd Runner-Up: Abigail and Elizabeth Orchard (Bedfordshire) for their entry, Bee-friending Bumbles. It highlighted their deep connection to nature through a photograph taken at their home.
- Music 2nd Runner-Up: Clementine and Eva MacNamara (London) with Nature and Infrastructure, a musical piece that emphasised the importance of reusing resources and prioritising essential and sustainable infrastructure.
- Poetry 2nd Runner-Up: Enzo Maccioni (8) and Kathryn Denham-Maccioni (Surrey) for their poem about living harmoniously with nature and drawing inspiration from our surroundings.
Winners were awarded the coveted Ikigai 2024 trophy and a cash prize of £500 by Dragon’s Den star Deborah Meaden, while runners-up received certificates and ICE goody bags.
Finalists also enjoyed a tour of the prestigious One Great George Street building and met with Professor Shah and the distinguished judging panel.
Commenting on the festival, ICE President Professor Anusha Shah said: “The Institution of Civil Engineers champions engineers and infrastructure professionals all over the world. We do this so the world has the infrastructure and engineering systems it needs to thrive in harmony with nature. A huge part of this work is inspiring the next generation. The Ikigai festival has been about using the power of arts and music in nurturing passion and creativity for tomorrow. I am so impressed with the creativity and passion of the young people who entered, and I hope they continue to be inspired by this experience.”