Big Exhibition

It is safe to say that our plans were big from the beginning.

We wanted the exhibition to consist of 4 different settings within one room. They would represent each continent and each class’ work - South America (P4A), Australia (P4B), Europe (P5A) and Africa (P5B). We planned to take the kids on a journey around the world and show the impact their inventions might have on local residents.

We were rather quite worried and crushed when we heard the news about closing the campus because of the Covid-19 pandemic. It meant that we would no longer be able to meet face-to-face not only with each other but also with the 1st year’s students. They were all sent home and the project got suspended. We asked them to finish their models, but we could not force them to do it. It seemed like our fate was in their hands.

In the beginning, it felt like both the project and our team collapsed. Kathleen went home to help on her parents' farm, Lara had to pick up extra hours at work in Tesco, Jordan was seeking a job with no result, and I was struggling with my anxiety and feeling trapped in my flat. April felt like a long time. We still hoped we would be able to host the exhibit in May, so that was our light at the end of the tunnel. But soon we found out that the physical Degree Show was cancelled and so was our exhibition. At this point, we were still making plans for the physical exhibit, so we set up a new date for the first week of October. Back then nobody knew that it would not work out either.

We stayed in touch all summer, and we supported each other through the pandemic. We communicated on Facebook or via Zoom, which became a flavor of the month. Kathleen and Jordan were working together on the booklet design and I kept taking care of the website and social media. I think we all found it hard to work completely remotely. I missed being in the office and having a working space that would not be just 2 meters away from my comfy bed.

It was a big relief when we could finally go back to working face-to-face in September. We still hoped we would be able to create the physical exhibit, but every day it became more and more apparent that it would be impossible. Especially, when we found out that most of the models made by the 1st year’s students before the break were gone.

We made some research about virtual exhibition spaces, and we settled for Kunstmatrix, where we could create a mock-up of how the exhibit would look like in real life. We nudged now 2nd year’s students to finish their models. As some of them did not have physical models to work on, we asked them to create digital versions. That is what I did too. I chose an invention drawn by 8 years old Marcin from my class, who designed a Protector from Fire for South America. As I explained during the presentation, the rapid weather changes in the Amazon Rainforest can lead to droughts, fires and other extreme conditions. Marcin decided to solve the problem by designing a shelter for trees that protects them from fire and provides them with water, wind and light, so they can grow big and strong. I made a model using Sketchbook Pro, Photoshop and Illustrator.

We launched the exhibition during the Creative Bravery Festival at which we had a pleasure to give a talk about the Wee Inventors project. We were positively surprised by the number of people that tuned in. After the presentation, each of us recorded a video for our class, where we announced which inventions were made real. We also gained interest of creative circles in Scotland and were invited to give a presentation about the project at Carrying on Creatively - 20x20 event.

To our big surprise, we were shortlisted for the Creative Edinburgh Social Award! And even though we did not win, the whole experience of managing such a big project was simply great. I learned a lot about working in a team, workshop organization, and adapting to different circumstances, like a global pandemic… Who would think in January, that so much would happen in just one year. I can safely say that I am proud of Kathleen, Lara, Jordan and myself. We went through a lot in the last couple of months, and we are still standing, still being creative and remaining friends.