Studies have found that arming students with knowledge and hands-on activities can help reduce the stressful effects of eco-anxiety. Screen-printed illustrations for an educational card game that focuses on bringing awareness to Aotearoa’s most endangered wildlife.
Kaitiakitanga, a concept of Te Ao Maori that loosely translates to English as guardianship and stewardship of the land, sea, skies, and spirits in which we inhabit was at the heart of inspiration, believing being a kaitiaki is an important role that Kiwi’s from all cultures can find within themselves and harness.
Tasked with creating a visual identity for this game, I chose to hand illustrate all illustrations of each of the 9 endangered animals using Indian ink, hand-writing the names in Te Reo and English, and the facts and locations of each animal. These were then individually screen-printed. The effect was a set of cards which were individually unique. The handmade element and lack of digital processes was intended to reflect nature and how everything in nature is perfectly imperfect and no one living creature or plant is the same.
As a printmaker myself, I wanted to pay homage to the New Zealand printmakers I admire such as Ernest Mervyn-Taylor, Cliff Whiting, Robin White, and Nigel Brown.
As a printmaker myself, I wanted to pay homage to the New Zealand printmakers I admire such as Ernest Mervyn-Taylor, Cliff Whiting, Robin White, and Nigel Brown.
