Kareem was responding to Wood, Water, Rock by Feiyi Wen
Find out more about her work at
www.independentsbiennial.com/feiyi-wen

Khaled & Arafa were responding to ‘ad hoc’ by Fiona Sitrling
Find out more about her work at
www.independentsbiennial.com/fiona-stirling

Kayden & Caleb were responding to ‘Too Foreign’ by Montse Mosquera.
Find out more about her work at
www.independentsbiennial.com/montse-mosquera

Kayden:

I chose this picture because it reminds me of my memories of good times and bad times. The memories are like of when I was in Springland, my first day of school. Super Duper. The first time I went to Super Duper, the first time I came to Liverpool, and church.

This picture shows me someone taking pictures of good things and good places. And keeping stories. This is why I chose the picture. Like, you can snap the sun, something that you will never see for like five years, take the picture to remember. Or forever even, take the picture. That’s why I chose this picture.

If I was going to choose five pictures that were my story, or that reminded me of good times and good places I would choose Springland, School, Super Duper, Liverpool and church, because I had so much fun at Springland. It was my first time going to a carnival, or something very big like that. It was so much fun.

I chose my first day of school because I didn’t have any friends and I was a bit shy, but I like it here.

I chose Super Duper, but they changed it to pound disco now. But Super Duper was about winning something. If you were being good and when you worked so hard so you won something for the first time.

And when I came to Liverpool I was taking a picture on a plane, on July the 1st, and that picture reminds of me of when I first came here, like the picture of a plane window in the newspaper.

I came from Nigeria too, so I would put a picture of the flag as well, to remind me where I came from.

And the last one was church, because I’ve never seen a place like it before. My old church in Nigeria was a bit small, and St Anne’s Church in Liverpool is much bigger and it was humongous and so much fun.

Those pictures remind me of my memories, like the iPhone pictures in the newspaper.

Kareem:

I chose to write about this picture because I like the scenery – it’s a picture of a waterfall
There were other pictures, of iPhones and chairs, but I chose this one because I could throw my enemies down it. I could throw my worst enemies and the people that were mean to me.

I’ve done loads of drawings around the picture because I want to be an animator, and they could be in the scene. I like drawing around it because my favourite films are Tom and Jerry, The Loony Toons and Mickey Mouse, but these are my own characters. I just like drawing around stuff. Unless it gets me in trouble, but it keeps me calm.

In the picture, I see water, trees, the mountains and the rocks and the grass around it. Rocks, rocks, rocks, everywhere. And then I can see the sky as well, but it’s all black and white like an old photo.

I think that its black and white because of the culture of the artist, and I just think it’s really good.

Caleb:

I chose this picture because I think it’s very nice, and it reminds me of YouTube stories. But I also chose this weird picture I found in the newspaper because the people texting were going to date.

The text message says “Let’s have a date on FaceTime then” or something like this? Why are they dating on FaceTime? What if someone joins it like I did when I found a random zoom?
I found a random zoom once by putting in numbers in the box and it took me to another school’s classroom.

So I don’t want to date on FaceTime. I drew two faces of a man smiling, then a man being unhappy. Those men are why are FaceTime date could go wrong, because what if a man just joins it, eating his potato crisps and doing weird things, like showing him in the shower or in the bath, or drinking his lemonade?

I’d never do a FaceTime date. I don’t even talk to anyone on my tablet. I only talk to strangers. It’s very safe because I can call the police in one second. I don’t talk to anyone I know, but I would dial 999 if a stranger joined.

Khaled:

I picked this picture because it’s great. It’s great because it’s interesting and it’s crap at the same time. But it’s scribbles so I do like it, and I’ve copied the picture too. My picture doesn’t look good, because it’s a scribble, but it’s like the one I copied. Because I didn’t like mine, I’ve drawn Mr Bestwick’s wig, which is all messed up, instead. I like that picture most.

I don’t think my drawing, or the one by the artist is better or worse. They’re both bad, because they don’t look finished and there’s no shading. How did the artist not get to finish it? It’s not finished, but it’s still too good to be one little mess up. There’s like a bull’s horn, and loads of old time fashion and clothes in it, but I don’t know why. It’s a scribble like yesterday, when we said that scribbles help us focus, so even if it’s bad, it’s good.

If I could change it I would colour it in, and I would pay someone else to draw it but better, because I still don’t think I can draw.

Arafa:

I drew a tiny man climbing on a chair like the picture in the newspaper, but my chair is bigger, and my man is smaller. I made a drawing about a tiny man climbing on a chair and he has dirty and smelly shoes. I drew his smelly shoes too at the top.

I don’t know why I think he has smelly shoes, but I made it up because the man looks messy.

I liked the picture because it’s just climbing on a chair. I wish I was a tiny person so I could destroy someone’s home. If I was, I’d use fire because I could fit everywhere.

I just liked the drawing, because it reminded me of my drawings. It’s a scribble, like we did yesterday. Because its art and it’s not finished, and because it’s silly.