Our urban surroundings are usually overwhelmed by information, but almost all of this information is written, drawn, photographed, or designed by a certain group of people, who are almost always adults. The design of urban spaces depends on expertise, resources, and existing power structures, so that only experts can have an influence. Architects, graphic designers, logo designers, and landscape architects are also responsible for designing spaces and products that are meant for kids. In the best cases, kids are asked for their opinions about playgrounds, but there is no free space for them to showcase their creativity in urban public areas.
Wunschgarten’s exhibitions use public space to showcase kids’ drawings to their neighbourhood by making them part of our visual surroundings. These mixed graphic designs, composed from hundreds of drawings by kids, also shake up the adult-designed dull cityscape with their fresh and playful graphic language.method also incorporates a mission of building bridges between remote realities and divided parts of society. The pictures created from the motifs drawn by kids during the workshops are visual elements of this project. First, they are used as printed colouring products such as posters, flyers and booklets. They are also printed on various objects that form Wunschgarten’s visual identity, such as sunbeds, parasols, beach flags and advertising banners.
The mix of the drawings’ irregular lines and the digital printing technique’s precision creates an unusual yet very eye-catching result. It looks professional as a visual setting, while staying inclusive by using kids’ creative input as the basis for the project’s visual language. It also creates continuity over time: having patterns from past workshops makes the feeling of being part of a long-term project visible.

Would you like to create a participatory exhibition for your social institute, museum, or community centre – have IPek do it with your community, or learn to do it yourself?
Contact IPek here.

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