This was one of my first editorial illustrations - for the cover of the Hivos publication ‘Counter the Digital Monoculture’. In this vibrant digital publication, there are interviews from seven future-oriented activists, artists and academics:
“ We asked them, “How can we counter the digital monoculture?” The interviews cover a wide range of topics, from indigenous futurism to afro-feminism, speculative storytelling, and the need for a fossil-free internet. “
https://hivos.org/new-publication-counter-the-digital-monoculture/
I was grateful to be part of this project and for the opportunity to create this cover. Before I got the brief I had just watched an amazing documentary called ‘The Biggest Little Farm’ about a failing farm that was transformed in to a thriving paradise by polyculture farming. Then came this brief, and the parallels were many so I chose to reflect the farming, plant life metaphor within the illustration. The left side is tech and one colour - the techie blue. In the centre a 'watering can' pours in the arts, activism and this leads to the right side which is the creative digital life flourishing in to a polyculture.
Thanks to Sally, Arthur and Hivos for the lovely opportunity to create this.