The Big Draw & Wycombe Homeless Connection (2011–2012) High Wycombe Library Collaborative Community Art

Project Type: Community Art, Social Practice & Collaborative Media

Partners: Wycombe Homeless Connection (WHC), The Big Draw, High Wycombe Library

Role: Project Lead, Workshop Facilitator & Filmmaker

Project Overview

In partnership with Wycombe Homeless Connection (WHC) and The Big Draw (the world’s largest drawing festival), I facilitated a series of collaborative creative workshops designed to bridge community gaps and offer a vital creative outlet for individuals facing housing crises and homelessness in South Buckinghamshire.

The initiative culminated in a major public exhibition held on the Mezzanine floor at the High Wycombe Library, featuring collaborative artwork, photography from across the UK, and film work addressing the urgency of local homelessness.

The Big Draw High Wycombe - The Creative Process: "Collaborative Social Drawing"

Over several weeks at The Hub, regulars at Wycombe Homeless Connection joined together to create a massive 10' x 4' collaborative social drawing. The artwork evolved dynamically with vibrant handprints, sketches, and shared marks.

In the final stages, we introduced sticky-backed mirror paper to weave between the drawings and handprints.

This material created an effect reminiscent of shattered glass, mirroring the faces and movements of anyone passing by.

While it began as a purely visual choice, the concept proved profoundly fitting: a poignant reflection of WHC’s central mission to help individuals rebuild their shattered lives.

Multi-Disciplinary Exhibition & Public Impact - Collaborative Community Art The Big Draw & Wycombe Homeless Connection (2011–2012)

The The Big Draw & Wycombe Homeless Connection exhibition opened in January 2012, launching with a private view that drew around forty local supporters and raised vital awareness and donations for WHC.

To expand the conversation around the universality of homelessness, the showcase included:

• The 10' x 4' Community Mural: The central piece created during the collaborative sessions.

• National Photography: Powerful documentary photography from across the UK, including contributions from the 'Homeless' group on Flickr (featuring striking imagery by photographer Ian Dennis), illustrating that the struggle for shelter is a shared human reality, whether in our own town or another.

• "Day in the Life of a Homeless Person": A short, evocative film piece I produced to give a direct voice to the lived experiences of the participants. Out of respect for the participants' privacy, this video was removed following the exhibition.

• Youth Collaboration: Collaborative text-giving artwork created by students at Alfriston School, exploring modern charity and connection.

The project received significant local engagement and was featured in the Bucks Free Press, highlighting how creative community engagement can shed light on urgent, real-world social challenges right on our doorstep.