Drawing Future
A comic project with Henning Pöplau in cooperation with BUND Bremen and Kulturzentrum Schlachthof e.V.
PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
Under the motto “Drawing Future,” a group of young people aged 14 to 18 artistically explored the topic of climate change. In the spirit of this global issue, participants embarked on an illustrative journey into the world of pencils and drawing tablets, asking themselves: What will the world look like in 100 years? Starting from a local perspective on Bremen’s climate situation, the group expanded their outlook to a planetary scale, developing illustrated forecasts for the future. The project created reflective spaces in which participants questioned the climatic and digital foundations of our current ways of living.
Utopia and Dystopia!
Throughout the project, participants created original cartoons, characters, and comic series that addressed both dystopian and more hopeful visions of the future, as well as potential solutions and successes for the planet and all living beings. The resulting illustrations were published in the Zett magazine.
COOPERATION:
BUND Bremen supported the participants in researching the topics through well-informed input, including climate rallies, discussions on the state of the climate, and solution strategies. The participants then translated their chosen topics into drawings under the artistic guidance of Henning Pöplau. In weekly sessions and weekend workshops, participants developed their own drawing styles while learning to effectively connect visual storytelling with content. The workshops were enriched by a guest visit from artist Jeff Hemmer and an excursion to the Weserburg Museum of Modern Art.
The project concluded in a cross-media self-publishing format, where participants—supported by Zett magazine from Kulturzentrum Schlachthof Bremen—gained insight into the intersection of analog and digital publishing practices.
PROJECT GOALS:
- Participation: Young people as experts of their own concerns define the project’s focus and direction, guided by interests relevant to their lives. Content aligned with topics relevant to young people (developing their own drawing style, new media, authorship).
- Skill development beyond performance-based assessment, focusing on strengths and self-efficacy according to individually chosen interests. Topics included: drawing, digital image editing, using Instagram and other social media, creative/free writing, environmental education, professional excursions, and more.
- Cultural participation of educationally disadvantaged youth in a diverse group: Building friendships, discovering spaces of cultural learning, expanding social and activity spaces, encouraging extracurricular engagement and positive group experiences. Educationally disadvantaged youth worked alongside refugee participants and those from more educationally or culturally privileged backgrounds—learning from each other.
- Knowledge transfer outside performance-based assessment: Arts, media, environmental education.
- Joy of art and artistic ambition in the resulting works, which were presented in an exhibition.
FORMATS:
DRAWING FUTURE
Introductory Workshop / July 15–19, 2019 / Güterbahnhof Bremen
Weekly Course / August 20 – December 10, 2019 / KUBO
Weekend Workshops / October 18–20, November 8–10 & December 7–8, 2019 / KUBO
Final Presentation / December 17, 2019 / KUBO
DRAWING FUTURE II
Weekly Course / February 4 – March 10, 2020 & June 16 – July 14, 2020 & September 1 – December 15, 2020 / KUBO
Weekend Workshops / August 28–30 & September 5–6, 2020 / KUBO
Intensive Week / October 19–23, 2020 / KUBO
COVID-19
The second part of the project (Drawing Future II) was impacted by the COVID-related closure of KUBO from March to June 2020 and again from December 2020 to March 2021. Some sessions were able to be rescheduled. Unfortunately, a planned 24-hour comic day had to be canceled, and a public project presentation could also not take place.
Despite these challenging circumstances, we are pleased that the project could still be realized, and that the young participants’ work gained visibility in the October/November 2020 issue of Zett-Magazin.
FUNDING
The project was supported by “Jugend ins Zentrum” of the Federal Association of Socio-Cultural Centers (Bundesvereinigung Soziokultureller Zentren e.V.) as part of the program “Kultur macht stark. Bündnisse für Bildung.”
PUBLICATION
The drawings created during the project were published across seven pages in the October/November 2020 issue of Zett-Magazin.