What does Espoo look like through drawings by residents?
The Vox Populi project held at libraries asked Espoo residents to draw what their neighbourhood would look like as a character.
The Sello and Lippulaiva libraries hosted the Vox Populi project in which residents participated by drawing. Vox Populi means ‘voice of the people’, and the aim of this low-threshold participatory method was to collect views from random passersby.
People were asked: “If your neighbourhood in Espoo was a character, what would it look like?” They were asked to draw the character on a small card and place it on a printed map of Espoo. Cards with the logo of & Espoo Theatre were also available. The participants were given candy as a thank-you.
Drawings highlighted nature, animals and safety
A total of 53 characters were drawn on the cards. As the participants were drawing, we asked them why they chose to draw their characters. Most of the drawings and stories were related to nature, animals and feeling safe, which shows that these themes are important to residents. We also asked the participants what they thought of the activity, and they all reacted positively. Some were surprised and touched by the project and felt that their opinion mattered.
This method was an excellent way to engage with people who may not always get their voices heard, such as young people, seniors and people with disabilities. Participation did not require any language skills, as the participants could express themselves without using words.
The project was run by Aalto University design students Daniela Borgström, Jamie Smyth and Yufei Chen under the supervision of inclusion researcher Annukka Svanda. The project was carried out in cooperation with & Espoo Theatre and the City of Espoo as part of the theatre’s Out of the Bubble Festival.
