Over the last few months, Imaginate has been involved in the Festival City Stories project, which aims to highlight the work undertaken by the Edinburgh Festivals year-round. This was a partnership with creative street advertising Jack Arts Scotland, who commissioned newly graduated illustrators from Edinburgh College of Art to bring the projects to life, and have been displaying the posters on outdoor advertising sites throughout Edinburgh.
“The residency really helped my pupils show how special they are – even from another universe they shine.”
This quote for Imaginate's poster was provided by a teacher involved in our Immerse Project. From 2019 to 2022, we worked with six Edinburgh primary schools, bringing creative and immersive arts experiences for pupils who need it the most. As well as its impact on creativity in schools, Immerse had a huge impact on the social and emotional well-being of the children who took part. Watch a series of films which were created as part of the project.
Illustrator Daisy Whittle
The poster was designed by illustrator Daisy Whittle who said:
"Energetic and vibrant, my designs capture narratives from everyday life through a playful lens. I care about creating humour filled illustrations that are rich in texture and colour. Because of this, I have found that mixing a wide range of analogue and digital media is central to developing my lively style. I enjoy using my practice to tell stories that deserve to have a light shone on them - no matter how big or small they may be.
With this project, I wanted to highlight the importance of arts-based learning and the ways in which creative programmes have such a huge impact on increasing children’s confidence and creativity. The poster depicts an energetic classroom scene where a group of children cheer on their performing classmates, to convey the togetherness and support that arts-based learning tends to foster. It was really important to me to emphasise fantastical elements here, to reflect the magic, wonder and power of children’s imagination. As the performers tell their story, the imaginary star-filled world they are building only grows and immerses the class further. The scene celebrates the joy of encouraging children to develop their sense of self-expression and voice: even from another universe, they shine."
Visit Daisy’s website | @daisywhittle.illustrator
