We invited second year Graphics Design students at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design to create a moving image graphic featuring a quote by one of the three writers featured in this year’s Open the Door festival.
In the last three years we’ve been lucky enough to work with students at Further Education and Higher Education institutions around Scotland inviting them to make new work inspired by women writers or activists.
The work they develop is such a treat for us and our audiences, and we’re delighted to share these varied and insightful responses by DJCAD students informed by writers Maria Firmina dos Reis, Jessie Kesson and Wangari Maathai during Open the Door 2020.
“I really enjoyed this project and I’ve included the backstory for my piece below. The hummingbird comes from a story Wangari told:
“It’s about this huge forest being consumed by fire, and all the animals are watching feeling powerless, except this little hummingbird. It says “I’m going to do something about the fire!” and so it flies to the nearest stream and takes a drop of water, puts it on the fire and goes back and forth, back and forth. Meanwhile the animals, much bigger than the hummingbird, like the elephant that could hold a lot more water, are standing helpless. They keep saying to the hummingbird “What do you think you can do? This fire is too big. You can’t bring enough water!” But as they continue to discourage it, the hummingbird turns to them without wasting any time and tells them “I am doing the best I can.” And that to me is what all of us should do. We should always be like a hummingbird. I may be insignificant, but I certainly don’t want to be like the animals watching the planet go down the drain. I will be a hummingbird, I will do the best I can.“” – Rhona Forbes