Whalsay pupil’s elephant poster wins festival heat
Rosalind GriffithsA pupil from Whalsay School has won the regional heat of a competition to design a poster for this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
Charlotte Hutchison, 12, is now in the running to be named overall winner.
Her poster was chosen as the best in Shetland in the festival fringe society’s scho
ols poster competition, which attracted over 5,000 entries. The winner will be announced on Thursday.
Charlotte said: “I liked painting it so I’m brawly prood o’ it getting chosen.”
The poster was done as part of a class project, with four posters, chosen by the class, sent into the competition. Art teacher Nick Stevenson said: “I gave the pupils a brief – the poster had to be bright, colourful and simple, and express the fun of the festival.”
Charlotte’s poster features an elephant with a monkey on its back about to be sprayed by the trunk. Mr Stevenson said: “It’s bizarre, eye-catching and memorable. It’s a strong image and [the fringe] needs something simple, quirky and immediate, or it would be lost amongst all the other festival imagery.”
Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society chief executive Kath M Mainland said: “Charlotte’s design came top of all entries from Shetland as it met the judges’ criteria of being fun, eye-catching, colourful and encapsulating the feel of the Fringe. This is a terrific achievement and something to be very proud of.
“We know how much schools enjoy being part of this competition and this year even more schools have taken part from across Scotland. I’m delighted that Whalsay School was one of them.”
Charlotte’s poster will be displayed at the Museum of Childhood in Edinburgh from 24th May to 26th August as part of an exhibition along with the top three prize-winners, 13 regional winners and 57 shortlisted entries.
Every year the winning design becomes the official poster for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and is used on mugs, bags, t-shirts and other merchandise.
Johan Adamson
Its really lovely, really cheery and imaginitive
Kelly Stewart
Dear Charlotte,
What a fantastic piece of art! It reminds me of going to the circus with Father Park in Baltimore when I was young.
Would you believe I have the very same colors in my sky tonight?
I live in Tucson Arizona. I live in the desert. I plan on visiting the Shetlands in the near future. I hope you plan to stick with art. The world needs brighter things. Wouldn’t you agree? All the girls in our family are artists and musicians and writers and filmmakers and it is all art! Maybe some boys thrown in;)
Good Luck my dear. Well done!
Kelly Stewart Tucson, Arizona U.S.A.