Big Draw London Launch 2005

Other launch events: South West, South East, East, East Midlands, West Midlands, North West, Yorkshire, North East, Scotland, Wales, N. Ireland

Drawing Together

2 October 2005

LOgo by Quentin Blake, Campaign  patron

Exhibition Road

London

Carnival, Big Draw London Launch 2005

Drawing Together: The Big Draw Meets Carnival was a unique street festival that took over London's Exhibition Road to launch the Big Draw season, running at over 1000 venues across the UK during October.

This national launch was momentous. Exhibition Road was closed for the first time, creating a huge drawing arena, with nine organisations coming together to explore drawing's unlimited possibilities.

Natural History Museum, Big Draw London Launch 2005

There were a wide range of free activities and artist-led workshops in and around Exhibition Road, from South Kensington tube up to Kensington Gardens.

Serpentine Gallery Pavilion, Big Draw London Launch 2005

Thousands came to watch the finale - a carnival parade, with visitors wearing masks and other decorations they made during the day, along with hundreds of spectacular carnival performers.

Carnival, Big Draw London Launch 2005

Visitors to Kensington Gardens joined artists and architects, adding models and sketches to a vast cityscape in the Serpentine Gallery Pavilion, and made leaf prints and giant landscape murals with The Royal Parks and Wildlife for All teams.

Royal Parks, Big Draw London Launch 2005

At the V&A they designed and wore carnival costumes and masks, while budding naturalists and their families roved the Natural History Museum with a free sketchbook and drew a giant blue whale or a tiny insect.

Imperial College, Big Draw London Launch 2005

Amazing drawing robots took centre stage at the Science Museum's mechanical-themed workshops where visitors took inspiration from the whirring red Mill Engine.

Natural History Museum, Big Draw London Launch 2005

At Imperial College, London, the stars were pipe-cleaner spiders that drew and balloons made into molecular blobs and carnival costumes, with help from the Royal British Society of Sculptors.

Science Museum, Big Draw 2005

Visitors also drew to experimental music at the Royal College of Art, joined an illustration workshop at the Goethe Institut, or a drawing workshop with Blueprint magazine (sponsored by Colebrook Bosson Saunders).

Imperial College, Big Draw London Launch 2005

Outside the Serpentine Gallery, Quentin Blake, Gerald Scarfe and Posy Simmonds led the programme and added their drawings to The Big Picture Frame.

Quentin Blake, Campaign patron, Big Draw London Launch 2005

Top caricaturists from Private Eye, The Guardian, The Independent and The Times crossed pencils in a hard-hitting Battle of the Cartoonists, creating street banners.

Guardian cartoonists' banner, Big Draw London Launch 2005

Aerialists Viva, Chinese Ribbon Dancers and Gandini Jugglers used their bodies, vivid costumes, hoops and streamers to draw in space on Exhibition Road.

Hugh Jart mural, Big Draw London Launch 2005

Children decorated Koloron tabards in the Berol marquee, ensuring a riot of colour. Artwork created on the day was worn or carried in the carnival parade and a steel band enlivened the celebrations.

Berol tabards, Big Draw London Launch 2005
Carnival, Big Draw London Launch 2005
Carnival, Big Draw London Launch 2005
Carnival, Big Draw London Launch 2005

Photos by Eileen Adams, David Burder, Natural History Museum, Science Museum and Hansens

More wonderful pictures to view: Campaign for Drawing's street activities/Carnival Parade, Imperial College/Science Museum, Natural History Museum, Royal Parks/Serpentine Gallery, V&A

Berol and the Campaign for Drawing have received an investment from Arts & Business New Partners to develop their creative partnership. Arts & Business New Partners is funded by Arts Council England and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.