The BIG DRAW 2020 - Seychelles

For the past 4 years Arterial Network Seychelles have participated in the international Big Draw event, to promote drawing under a new theme each year  - this year the theme is “A Climate of Change”.

Who really knows how the changing climate and all that goes with it is affecting our young people, they hear all negativity about it on the news and feel its effects in their daily lives but do they really understand it? And how does all the uncertainty make them feel? Are they afraid? 

The mission of our Big Draw project was to get the children of Seychelles thinking – to get them researching and educating themselves about this “Climate of Change” we are currently living in. The theme encompasses all the changes in every way that the world is currently experiencing and we decided to focus on environmental climate change- a topic which is particularly poignant for our small island nation.  

We had Five schools participating this year, Students from SIAD, Plaisance Secondary, International School, Independent School and L'École Française, were invited to transpose their thoughts and feelings regarding the 2020 Big Draw Theme – “A Climate of Change”  into black and white drawings that decorate 4 Quotations by the teen activist Greta Thunberg.  

The Students were asked to think about their individual quotation and represent their feelings  and reactions to it with drawings of their facial expressions (hand drawn selfies) interposed with items from nature. 

The quotations were presented in our 3 national languages as follows:

Plaisance School       – Nou lakaz pe brile (Our house is on fire)    

L'École Française       - Le Monde se Réveille (The World is waking up)

International School  – We are the Change

Independent School   - & Change is Coming

SIAD                         – We Deserve a Safe Future

 Arterial Network Seychelles is pleased to once again bring school teachers and students together in order to realise fine art outcomes through collaboration.

 On Saturday 10th of October representatives from each school got together at the Eden Art Space Gallery to assemble the quotations into works of art.

A little bit about ‘The Big Draw’ Festival….

 Founded in 2000, The Big Draw is a visual literacy charity that promotes the universal language of drawing as a tool for learning, expression and invention. It is a charity that leads a diverse programme of advocacy, empowerment and engagement, and is the founder and driving force behind the annual ‘Big Draw Festival’ – the world’s biggest celebration of drawing.

The Big Draw Festival has encouraged over four million people back to the drawing board since 2000. It has notched up two world records – for the longest drawing in the world (one kilometre) and the greatest number of people drawing simultaneously (over 7,000). The first Big Draw Festival in 2000 attracted 180 partner organisations. Since then, the number has risen to more than 1,000, with over 500,000 people participating each year! 

The Festival is made up of thousands of creative events, activities and workshops across the globe hosted by organisations big and small; from individuals to entire cities!

 Indepth info regarding the Big Draw project can be obtained from their website -  https://thebigdraw.org