My Worlds

Children express, how they wish their environment/city to look like

My Worlds is project series wich startet 2012 in Sri Lanka as “My World”. In cooperation with the Swiss Development Cooperation SDC and the Media Resources Training Center MRTC from Jaffna, we uses different art forms, to empower kids from a resettlement village in Northern Sri Lanka. The idea was to ask children, how they would like their newly build village to look like and let them have a strong visual presence in the village.

In Switzerland i cooperated with Freiplatzaktion Basel, who are in support of Tamil refugees since the beginning of the crisis in 1983. This led to the annual project “My Worlds”. Again we asked the children, how they would like their city (Basel) to look like. The Tamil children could connect with children from Sri Lanka, taking a creative journey to their cultural roots. Meanwhile the project is open to children from every cultural background.

My World - Sri Lanka 2012

Goals

“My World” allows us to look at the world through the eyes of a child.
It offers children the possibility to express, how they want their environment to look like. This gives an insight in the needs and wishes of children living in resettlement housing schemes in northern Sri Lanka.
The project strives to encourage the children’s creativity and ability to “draw” an image of their future and it works as an evaluation tool, to let us understand what is missing between the bricks and concrete of their new homes.
“My World” is implemented in cooperation with local educational institutions, giving students the opportunity to try out and prove their skills. Seeking to empower and give incentives to the local community to make a “change”.

Process

  • Photo cameras are given to the children living in the housing schemes. They are asked to take photos of their environment – their homes, streets, school, community centre, temple etc.
  • The photos are printed out large scale (A2)
  • The children draw over the prints expressing how they would like the scene to look like. Adding things to, or erasing things from the print.
  • In an exhibition at the local community center the drawings will be made public to the local community.
  • Students of the Fine Art Institute at University of Jaffna, together with the children pick some of the children’s drawings. Those images are drawn on different murals in the village – at private houses, the school, the community center, eventually the temple etc.

  • A student of MRTC explains how to use a camera
  • A boy takes a photo of chicken whilst laying down the ground
  • Students went out in the village to capture photographs for a second day
  • Students of MRTC holding a presentation on the basics of photography
  • The media team of MRTC interviews a boy during the photography workshop
  • Students of the Fine Art Institut prepare for their part in My World. As an exercice they were combining details of children's drawings to create own artworks
  • Children look through photos they have taken. After choosing three photos each, they got printed out A3 size
  • 28 students from 3th to 6th grade were attending
  • Children used different kinds of coloured pencils to draw over their photos
  • The students added things they would miss, or erasing things in the scene
  • A girls presents one of her drawings
  • Students of the Fine Art Institute transferring details of the children's paintings on walls around the community
  • Exhibition in Maravanpulo School
  • Exhibition in MRTC Media Recourses Training Center Jaffna
  • Framed photo for the Students of Maravanpulo School

My Worlds - Switzerland 2013

Goals

  • Reconnecting children of the Swiss Tamil diaspora in Switzerland to their cultural roots and their second home Sri Lanka.
  • Connecting children of the Swiss Tamil diaspora with children in Sri Lankan. The active personal exchange strives to launch longtime friendships.
  • “My Worlds” lets us look at a Sri Lankan resettlement village from the perspective of a Tamil child who grew up in Switzerland.
  • Empowering children by teaching photography and showing creative ways to address a complex question.
  • Through “My Worlds” the children in Switzerland can explore their new home with creative methods. We are asking for their critical view on Basel, in order for them to create a vision and help them to find their place in society.
  • Capacity Building through cooperation with local Sri Lankan educational institutions.
  • Children learn innovative and creative methods to face a complex question and to communicate.

 

My Worlds since 2014

Since 2014 Wy Worlds is open to children from every cultural background.
Meanwhile the lead for the project was handed over to Freiplatzaktion Basel and the association Imagine.