Last year we worked with 18 brilliant disabled creatives on our Young Artist Development Programme (YADP). Their work is featured in a new zine called “Department for Wonder and Play”, more about this here. In addition to the digital and physical publication, we’re going to spotlight each artist on the blog so you can get a deeper insight into their work and process. Over to Robin, to say a little bit about their project Pippin the Pigeon.

I’ve always been really interested in art. As a kid, I would always start little art projects – whether it was a gift for someone, or just something I wanted to do for fun. I’ve never really stuck with one specific artform, which is why I’m quite drawn to mixed media art. My work can include music, crochet and clay modelling.

I like to try new things and just give things a go. I like having my ideas come to life, and also making little things for my friends. I feel making things for them is a personal thing, and a little bit of me. I think it is also just a nice outlet to express creativity that’s different to what I study at university. Doing it for fun takes away the pressures of doing art.

My project is about childlike wonder and my love for pigeons. I wanted to explore the idea of making a pigeon toy whilst also showcasing what sort of job the pigeon would have – so I made him a postman. I thought of Barbie, and how she has worked every job under the sun, and how Bratz have always been big on fashion, and I put my own spin on it.

Pippin has been a character that I have had in my sketchbook for a while but I have never had the chance to bring him to life, so I thought this would be the perfect opportunity. I created Pippin as a character idea for maybe a TV show or video game. I love animation – especially stop motion – and love children’s media in general. Although he’s a toy, I also think he could work as a stop motion character, and I thought that was really cool.

To make Pippin, I mostly used bits and bobs I already had at home. I bought wire to create an armature ages ago, when I wanted to experiment with stop motion, but never completed a project with it until now. I used clay for his head and paints I’ve had for years. For the clothes, I used Bratz clothes, as they fit him perfectly.

My friends were super-supportive and watched me every step of the process. I felt the pressure towards the end, because I wanted it to be perfect. My friend stepped in and helped me with his bag, as she’s really good at sewing.

It was so much fun to be able to work on something so freely and be passionate about it.

Thanks so much Robin for letting us know how Pippin came to life!