Street Child World Cup 2022
News
Bath Spa professor and students use their creative talents in Qatar as part of a project supporting young people on the streets
Monday, 19 December, 2022Renowned illustrator and Senior Lecturer at Bath Spa University, Tim Vyner, has been using his creative talents in Qatar as part of a project to support young people living on the streets.
Tim, along with three students from the Bath School of Design, captured the action from the Street Child World Cup, which took place in October in Oxygen Park in Doha, and told the stories of the young people involved, using different creative techniques.
Clem Ali, Maisy Beal (both BA (Hons) Graphic Communication) and Matilda Black (BA (Hons) Textiles), worked alongside Tim creating daily ‘zines, textile pieces and reportage drawings.
Maisy said:" I wanted to work with Street Child United as I think the combination of sports and arts provides a wonderful platform for the change that starts when all the teams come together. It was also an opportunity to experiment with my practice, working at new speeds and in a new environment. It was great to make work that communicated to a multilingual audience. It was challenging to work at such a fast pace, not wanting to miss anything, even in the moments I glanced down at my sketchbook.
"Being part of a project like this inspired me to create work that speaks for those whose voices need elevating, and to make work for positive impact."
"I really enjoyed handing out our daily zines to hundreds of eager readers, and people’s joy when seeing themselves in a printed publication for their World Cup tournament."
The Street Child World Cup brought together 26 teams of street-connected young adults from around the world, to take part in their own international football tournament, festival of arts and congress for their rights.
The art by Tim and his team was then exhibited in the Katara Cultural Village along with work from other artists and organisations, as well as images and powerful statements from each of the teams taking part.
This was not the first time Tim has worked with the Street Child World Cup, having also travelled to Moscow in 2018 to document the action through his drawings.
Following the event and during the group stages of the World Cup, the British Council hosted an exhibition on the popular Corniche waterfront promenade in Doha, as part of the UK Qatar Festival, which this year had the theme Sport for Good. The exhibition, showcasing English, Welsh and Qatari creativity, included Tim’s work from the Street Child World Cup, along with new artwork produced by a range of artists from Qatar and the UK.
As part of the project,Tim had the opportunity to work alongside Qatari artist and illustrator Kholood Al-Ali.
Tim said:
“Working with Kholood has been a productive experience, and the real value of this collaboration for me has been the conversations we have had, while informally exploring the city at this remarkable time: discussing our design processes, understanding culture and sharing ideas.”
You can find out more about the Bath School of Design on our website.