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Photo archive

Workshops and exhibitions from CRE8's own Flickr albums, 2010 to 2012, by place and year.

About the archive

CRE8 kept what it made. This site is built from that record.

750 pictures from CRE8's Flickr account, taken between 2010 and 2012. 21 notes from the old website, written between 2011 and 2014. 14 films. 116 artworks and views of work in the catalogue, 55 of them from The Most Realistic Alien.

The notes keep the words written at the time. Where a fact has changed since, About has today's.

Every image is shown whole. Nothing is cropped, retouched or given to a project because of how it looks.

Where we don't know a place, a date or a name, we leave it out. We don't guess.

Some things are still missing: the towns of a few workshops, some dates, and photographs that were never downloaded. We are still counting.

Were you there? If you took part in a CRE8 workshop and recognise a drawing, a photograph or yourself, write to .

Where it happened

CRE8 happens in real places, with real children, around the world. This is what the records say about each place. Where a record is missing, we leave the gap.

2010

Barcelona and Catalonia, Spain

2010 to 2012

In September 2010 CRE8 showed work in Barcelona, at an exhibition called Abracadabra.

One Sunday in February 2012, in the valley of Can Masdeu in Collserola Park, families began the day with a dance and an imaginary journey through space. Then they drew the aliens they had met on the way. In the afternoon four teams of children and grown-ups played Ping Pong Painting for an hour and a half.

In March 2012 CRE8 spent a week at Can Coll primary school in Torrelles del Llobregat, with more than 100 pupils: Ping Pong Painting, The Most Realistic Alien, a Photo Rally with the photographer Gustavo Osorio, and on Friday an exhibition. The 3rd and 4th graders drew over 40 aliens, among them Lufi, Eráculo and Porcupain.

Barcelona, Spain 2010

Abracadabra

  • A girl squeezes green glue onto her paper, coloured pencils beside her. Barcelona, Spain, 2010.
  • People sit on pink chairs in a bookshop listening to a man standing at the front. Barcelona, Spain, 2010.
  • A woman looks at a wall of colour photographs of children. Barcelona, Spain, 2010.
  • Children and adults drawing at white tables with a tray of pencils. Barcelona, Spain, 2010.
  • Hands from both sides drawing on one sheet on a white table. Barcelona, Spain, 2010.
  • A girl holds up her pink drawing in front of a wall of pinned drawings. Barcelona, Spain, 2010.
  • A boy in a yellow shirt holds up his drawing of a green alien on blue. Barcelona, Spain, 2010.
  • A girl at a white table holds up her drawing of a green alien on orange ground. Barcelona, Spain, 2010.
All 12 photos from Barcelona, Spain
  • Black and white portraits hang at different heights in a white room. Barcelona, Spain, 2010.
  • A white wall hung with rows of small children's drawings on wooden pegs. Barcelona, Spain, 2010.
  • A large black and white portrait of a smiling girl hangs in a doorway. Barcelona, Spain, 2010.
  • A pink Abracadabra banner outside a shop window. Barcelona, Spain, 2010.

Flickr album: “Abracadabra Exhibition in Barcelona, Spain”

Loop workshop, Brandenburg, Germany 2010

June 2010. A mix of Ping Pong Painting and a live-looping music workshop Ole ran with Axl Makana, the singer of Mutabor. Each student added a sound to a loop machine: rhythm, voice, "yes, and". Making music together.

  • A musician with a guitar plays to a full hall of students. Brandenburg, Germany, 2010.
  • A man in a hat sings into a microphone at a loop machine, students seated in a circle. Brandenburg, Germany, 2010.
  • A young man in a grey beanie sings into a microphone. Brandenburg, Germany, 2010.
  • Students sit in a circle of chairs in a classroom. Brandenburg, Germany, 2010.
  • A girl in a red hoodie stands at a blackboard with a chalk face drawn on it. Brandenburg, Germany, 2010.
  • A girl in a blue hoodie adds to a large chalk drawing on a blackboard. Brandenburg, Germany, 2010.
  • Students draw together at the blackboard while others watch from their seats. Brandenburg, Germany, 2010.
  • A man in a hat at a loop machine, students listening in a circle around him. Brandenburg, Germany, 2010.
All 12 photos from Loop workshop, Brandenburg, Germany
  • A boy watches with his hand at his mouth, the circle of students blurred behind. Brandenburg, Germany, 2010.
  • A man in a hat sings into a microphone and points at a student. Brandenburg, Germany, 2010.
  • A laughing girl sits beside a man holding a microphone. Brandenburg, Germany, 2010.
  • A boy leans toward the microphone a man holds out to him. Brandenburg, Germany, 2010.

Flickr album: “Loopworkshop in Germany”

Rishikesh, India

2009 to 2012

In March 2009 Ole Ukena showed an exhibition in Rishikesh with workshops for children. Black-and-white portraits hung together in a tree: The Magic Tree.

In March 2010, at Ramana's Garden, a children's home in Rishikesh, the children showed their drawings and photographs to everyone who came, hung all over the garden and in the trees.

In January 2011 children drew The Ideal Place together at Ramana's Garden by the river.

In early 2011 Kishan (14) and Anrurag (17) took part in a Photo Rally with Ole and the filmmaker and photographer Carlos Lopez. They took pictures for eleven prompts, from a self-portrait to a dream they often have, and then learned to edit them.

At the exhibition that followed, their photographs hung next to those of Meowadee (16) from Chiang Mai. Kishan said: "Seeing the photos printed big like this changes everything."

Children in Rishikesh drew aliens too. The photographs in the archive are dated February 2012.

Rishikesh, India 2010

Art Exhibition

  • A boy looks back from a tree trunk while another boy climbs it. Rishikesh, India, 2010.
  • Two boys stand beside a large printed banner propped against a bamboo fence. Rishikesh, India, 2010.
  • A boy kneels on a red floor, drawing with a black pen. Rishikesh, India, 2010.
  • Black and white portraits hung on an old tree and a stone house. Rishikesh, India, 2010.
  • Three people hold framed black and white portraits in front of their faces. Rishikesh, India, 2010.
  • Colourful paintings pegged on a line along a stone veranda. Rishikesh, India, 2010.
  • Black and white portrait photos pegged on lines between trees. Rishikesh, India, 2010.
  • A girl points at a hand-written sign reading Beauty Parlor, a young woman beside her. Rishikesh, India, 2010.
All 12 photos from Rishikesh, India
  • People sit on mats in a long bamboo hall facing a green hanging cloth. Rishikesh, India, 2010.
  • A tangle of young people hugging and laughing in a bamboo hall. Rishikesh, India, 2010.
  • Adults and children play together in a crowd outdoors, a boy leaping. Rishikesh, India, 2010.
  • A woman looks at drawings pegged along a stone wall. Rishikesh, India, 2010.

Flickr album: “Art Exhibition Rishikesh, India”

2011

Barú, Colombia

2011 to 2012

Children in Barú drew aliens too. The drawings and photographs in the archive are dated December 2011 and January 2012.

Barú, Colombia 2011

The Most Realistic Alien

  • A girl looking out from behind a red wooden post. Barú, Colombia, 2011.
  • Two small girls smiling close to the camera. Barú, Colombia, 2011.
  • Children sitting on the ground in a circle, one girl in a pink dress. Barú, Colombia, 2011.
  • A girl in a pink dress walks along a path in front of a house with a thatched roof. Barú, Colombia, 2011.
  • A girl in a blue top watches a boy in orange drawing on the ground. Barú, Colombia, 2011.
  • A child runs across a sandy playground between coloured climbing bars. Barú, Colombia, 2011.
  • A girl on a sandy street holds up her drawing of an alien. Barú, Colombia, 2011.
  • Two girls hold up their alien drawings against a blue wooden wall. Barú, Colombia, 2011.
All 12 photos from Barú, Colombia
  • A smiling boy in a red shirt gives a thumbs up next to another boy. Barú, Colombia, 2011.
  • A boy holds up his striped alien drawing in front of a blue door. Barú, Colombia, 2011.
  • A small girl with pink hair ties looks up, other children drawing around her. Barú, Colombia, 2011.
  • A crowd of children waves from the stone base of a huge tree. Barú, Colombia, 2011.

Flickr album: “Most Realistic Alien in Baru, colombia”

Bogotá, Colombia

2011

It rained, and it didn't matter. The day began with Ping Pong Painting. Then the group took single drawings and made new ones out of them by adding only a few lines. Then came the aliens. It ended with cake, drinks and a lot of jumping around.

Bogotá, Colombia 2011

The Most Realistic Alien

  • Children at long green tables in a classroom, two adults standing by the blackboard. Bogotá, Colombia, 2011.
  • A classroom seen from the back: children at green tables, a woman and a man at the blackboard. Bogotá, Colombia, 2011.
  • Two girls smiling at a green table, paper snowmen pinned to the wall behind them. Bogotá, Colombia, 2011.
  • A woman in a grey shawl talking to children seated at their tables. Bogotá, Colombia, 2011.
  • A boy and a girl drawing side by side; her white shirt is covered in handwriting. Bogotá, Colombia, 2011.
  • Two boys in blue jackets, one in a red hood, looking at a sheet of paper on the table. Bogotá, Colombia, 2011.
  • Two girls bent close over one sheet, drawing with pencils. Bogotá, Colombia, 2011.
  • A boy in a maroon school sweater sits behind a pile of coloured pencils. Bogotá, Colombia, 2011.
All 12 photos from Bogotá, Colombia
  • A woman in a grey shawl stands among seated children, a pink poster on the wall. Bogotá, Colombia, 2011.
  • A group of children and a man pose together, one girl holding up a sheet of paper. Bogotá, Colombia, 2011.
  • A whole class sits on a red tiled floor with their arms raised. Bogotá, Colombia, 2011.
  • A drawing of a figure standing on a green and blue Earth, a second figure below. Bogotá, Colombia, 2011.

Flickr album: “Most Realistic Aliens landed in Bogotá”

Germany

2009 to 2011

In 2009, at Spielraum Gallery in Berlin, the first Most Realistic Alien: a drawing competition. Draw an alien, and the most realistic one wins. Spielraum, at Reichenberger Straße 28, was a gallery and cultural space with live music, exhibitions and events. Ole hosted CRE8 workshops there, Ping Pong Painting among them, and part of it was at times his studio.

In June 2010 Ole ran a Loop workshop in Brandenburg with Axl Makana, the singer of Mutabor. It mixed Ping Pong Painting with live looping: each student added one sound to a loop machine, and the loop became music made together.

On 6 August 2010 children drew aliens at Spielraum Gallery again. The next day CRE8 ran a workshop at Goldmund Festival in Biesenthal, and people held up their aliens in front of a wall of drawings.

On 15 December 2011 a class at a German school drew aliens in their art room.

A collage workshop in Berlin, where children made self-portraits, became the film Collage with Paula.

Germany 2011

The Most Realistic Alien

  • A girl in a red jacket holds an alien drawing with smiling green face and stick limbs among other children at art tables. Germany, 2011.
  • Three children hold large drawings in front of their faces, each showing a different colourful alien design. Germany, 2011.
  • A boy in a black-and-white striped shirt holds a green alien drawing with antenna, classroom in background. Germany, 2011.
  • Two girls with red antenna headbands hold colourful alien drawings and smile at the camera. Germany, 2011.
  • Five children with arms linked hold up various alien drawings, standing together in a school art room. Germany, 2011.
  • A girl bends over an art table drawing with watercolours and markers surrounded by supplies. Germany, 2011.
  • A girl in a red shirt concentrates on drawing at a shared table with paint palettes and brushes. Germany, 2011.
  • A girl in a navy-striped shirt holds an orange and pink alien drawing with round features. Germany, 2011.
All 12 photos from Germany
  • A girl in pink and navy striped sweater holds a yellow-faced alien drawing with outstretched arms. Germany, 2011.
  • A boy holds a colourful stick-figure alien drawing with extended limbs and bright paint colours. Germany, 2011.
  • A large group of children hold up their alien drawings together. Germany, 2011.
  • A boy in brown holds an alien drawing with three teal heads and red body sections. Germany, 2011.

Flickr album: “Photostream”

Indonesia

2011 to 2012

Children in Indonesia drew aliens too. The photographs in the archive are dated December 2011 and January 2012.

In Ubud, Bali, CRE8 showed work at AIR Open Artist Residency.

Indonesia 2011, 2012

The Most Realistic Alien

  • Girls sitting on a tiled floor, drawing on sheets spread around them. Indonesia, 2011.
  • Two girls and a woman sit on a porch floor with drawings and pens. Indonesia, 2011.
  • A girl in a yellow top reaches up to a painted sheet hanging on a wall. Indonesia, 2011.
  • A girl in a yellow dress holds up a painted round alien. Indonesia, 2011.
  • A boy sits cross-legged against a wall, holding a drawing of a red egg-shaped alien. Indonesia, 2011.
  • A smiling girl holds up two sheets of small pink alien drawings. Indonesia, 2011.
  • A girl holds a painting of a blue alien with horns. Indonesia, 2011.
  • A boy sits against a wall with two colourful alien drawings on his knees. Indonesia, 2011.
All 12 photos from Indonesia
  • A young woman holds up two drawings of aliens with big eyes. Indonesia, 2011.
  • A large group of children and adults on a porch, many holding drawings. Indonesia, 2011.
  • A drawing of a figure with three round eyes and a red mouth under a dark blue sky. Indonesia, 2012.
  • A drawing of blue-grey painted shapes: a figure with raised arms and three houses. Indonesia, 2012.

Flickr album: “Most Realistic Alien in Indonesia”

Mexico

2011

Children in Mexico drew aliens too. The photographs in the archive are dated December 2011.

Mexico 2011

The Most Realistic Alien

  • Children drawing at wooden tables in a room with stone walls and a blackboard. Mexico, 2011.
  • A boy in a yellow sweater draws at a paint-stained wooden table. Mexico, 2011.
  • A girl in pink draws with an orange pencil at a wooden table. Mexico, 2011.
  • A girl holds up her pencil drawing of a round alien against a stone wall. Mexico, 2011.
  • A boy in yellow holds up his drawing of an alien with cat ears. Mexico, 2011.
  • A boy holds up a drawing of a green figure and a small creature in the sky. Mexico, 2011.
  • A boy holds up his drawing of a yellow alien with many legs. Mexico, 2011.
  • A girl holds up a pink sheet with a drawing of a green alien. Mexico, 2011.
All 12 photos from Mexico
  • A girl in an orange top sits at a wooden table with a blank sheet. Mexico, 2011.
  • A boy holds up a blue drawing of figures under a yellow sun. Mexico, 2011.
  • A girl looks down at her drawing of a brown alien with long arms. Mexico, 2011.
  • A girl holds up her drawing of a purple alien with orange legs. Mexico, 2011.

Flickr album: “Most Realistic Alien in Mexico”

Thailand 2011

Ping Pong Painting

  • A laughing girl draws on a blackboard covered in chalk shapes. Thailand, 2011.
  • Two students draw on one big sheet from opposite sides of a wooden table. Thailand, 2011.
  • A student in a white school uniform draws with a yellow pen. Thailand, 2011.
  • A girl in a school uniform rests her chin on her hands, thinking. Thailand, 2011.
  • A student in a white uniform draws with a pink pencil. Thailand, 2011.
  • A classroom of students in white uniforms drawing at wooden desks. Thailand, 2011.
  • Students drawing at wooden desks, one covering his eyes with his hand. Thailand, 2011.
  • A student pins drawings of faces to a green board. Thailand, 2011.
All 12 photos from Thailand
  • Students at wooden desks in a classroom, a teacher standing at the back. Thailand, 2011.
  • Two students hold up a sheet with two drawn faces side by side. Thailand, 2011.
  • Two students hold up a sheet of drawn faces, classmates waving behind them. Thailand, 2011.
  • A wide sandy schoolyard with children playing, a temple roof beyond the trees. Thailand, 2011.

Flickr album: “Drawing workshops in Thailand”

The Ideal Place 2011

The Ideal Place

  • A girl draws with chalk on a big rock by a river. The Ideal Place, 2011.
  • A boy climbs a wooden ladder up a boulder covered in chalk drawings and a painted sun. The Ideal Place, 2011.
  • A man holds a furry microphone to a girl wearing headphones. The Ideal Place, 2011.
  • Children draw with chalk on a long rock face beside a river. The Ideal Place, 2011.
  • A rock face covered in white chalk drawings, children further along. The Ideal Place, 2011.
  • A boy climbs a painted boulder while another child stands on top. The Ideal Place, 2011.
  • Children stand and climb across painted boulders on a sandy riverbank. The Ideal Place, 2011.
  • Children pose along the ledges of a big painted rock. The Ideal Place, 2011.
All 12 photos from The Ideal Place
  • A group of children and young adults pose with arms wide in front of a chalk-covered rock. The Ideal Place, 2011.
  • A woman in a red scarf paints on a rock covered in chalk lines and red stars. The Ideal Place, 2011.
  • Two large boulders on white sand, covered in pink, red and yellow paintings. The Ideal Place, 2011.
  • Children carry a long bamboo pole past a painted rock face. The Ideal Place, 2011.

Flickr album: “The Ideal City Project”

2012

Brazil

2012

Children in Brazil drew aliens too. The photographs in the archive are dated February 2012.

Brazil 2012

The Most Realistic Alien

  • A terrace above the city with a walkway bridge and a hand-painted alien sign on the railing. Brazil, 2012.
  • Two girls laughing at a red table covered in paper, one holding up a sheet. Brazil, 2012.
  • Two boys drawing with felt-tip pens at a green table. Brazil, 2012.
  • Children drawing around a green table on a terrace, one boy in a striped shirt. Brazil, 2012.
  • Children drawing at a green table on a terrace, a woman standing behind them. Brazil, 2012.
  • Girls gathered at a table on a terrace, one reaching over to draw. Brazil, 2012.
  • A girl holds up two drawings of aliens on the terrace. Brazil, 2012.
  • Two girls hold up their alien drawings in front of a concrete wall. Brazil, 2012.
All 12 photos from Brazil
  • Drawings pegged on a line on the terrace, a boy standing behind them. Brazil, 2012.
  • A boy holds up a long orange drawing on the terrace, friends behind him. Brazil, 2012.
  • A woman in white talks with a group of children outside among brick houses. Brazil, 2012.
  • A big group of children and adults, a girl in front holding up a picture book. Brazil, 2012.

Flickr album: “Most Realistic Alien in Brasil”

Rishikesh, India 2012

The Most Realistic Alien

  • A white domed pavilion on a lawn, people sitting in its shade. Rishikesh, India, 2012.
  • Adults drawing together at tables set out on a lawn. Rishikesh, India, 2012.
  • A bearded man in a red shirt draws at a table with others around him. Rishikesh, India, 2012.
  • Rows of adults drawing at outdoor tables on a wide lawn. Rishikesh, India, 2012.
  • Close view of hands drawing with felt-tip pens at a dark table. Rishikesh, India, 2012.
  • A curly-haired man holds up a drawing of a bearded face. Rishikesh, India, 2012.
  • A bearded man holds up a drawing of a heart-shaped form with an eye. Rishikesh, India, 2012.
  • A woman in an orange scarf holds up a drawing of a green alien and a yellow sun. Rishikesh, India, 2012.
All 12 photos from Rishikesh, India
  • A woman in sunglasses holds up a small round drawing on a lawn. Rishikesh, India, 2012.
  • A line of adults walks in a row with hands on each other's shoulders. Rishikesh, India, 2012.
  • Drawings pegged on green lines across a garden, lit by low sun. Rishikesh, India, 2012.
  • Two drawings of strange faces pegged on a green line. Rishikesh, India, 2012.

Flickr album: “Most Realistic Alein in Rishikesh, India”

Spain 2012

The Most Realistic Alien

  • A small wooden hut with a tiled roof on a hillside covered in trees. Spain, 2012.
  • Children and adults drawing at a table with a red spotted cloth in a room with bookshelves. Spain, 2012.
  • A smiling man at a table with a red spotted cloth and a box of pens. Spain, 2012.
  • A boy holds up a drawing full of circles and patterns. Spain, 2012.
  • A boy in a grey jacket holds his patterned drawing in front of him. Spain, 2012.
  • A girl in a purple jacket smiles, holding up her drawing. Spain, 2012.
  • Two small children, one holding a drawing of a pink figure, the other a small toy. Spain, 2012.
  • Three adults and two girls crowd together smiling at the camera. Spain, 2012.
All 12 photos from Spain
  • A girl draws with a red pen, looking down at her paper. Spain, 2012.
  • Two girls hold up their drawings, one with orange dots and small figures. Spain, 2012.
  • A woman draws a blue circle with a red pen at a table. Spain, 2012.
  • Three small children draw at a white table in front of bookshelves. Spain, 2012.

Flickr album: “Most Realistic Alien in Spain”

More places

Chiang Mai, Thailand

The first Photo Rally took place in Chiang Mai. Meowadee (16) won it. Her photographs later travelled to Rishikesh, among them a portrait of the King of Thailand and a scorpion, which the children there had never seen.

Nongplalai and Chonburi, Thailand

2011 to 2013

Nongyetjai school stands next to a temple, about two hours from Bangkok. More than 500 students go there every day. From May 2011 CRE8 worked with the school, together with Thaillywood, a local artist residency.

The first workshop was Ping Pong Painting. Then each child drew a partner twice: once looking, once with eyes closed. The two drawings never looked alike. Almost all the children liked drawing with their eyes closed better.

In June 2011, in a two-day workshop, the students drew hundreds of characters, props and backgrounds. They became the first part of the D.A.S. Project, a film that travelled on to California and Colombia. Marie, the founder of Thaillywood, gave each child a sketchbook and coloured pencils.

In June 2012 Thaillywood opened CRE8's first exhibition in Asia. One wall held over 300 aliens from four continents.

That September, on the rooftop, children planned what to do with Thaillywood's gold dome. Tong wanted a giant turtle with one green wing and one purple one. Jeep imagined a telescope inside, and a table where anyone could sit and draw under the universe.

In 2013 seventy children from ISE International School and Nongyetjai school cleaned Banglamung beach and turned the trash into inventions. The next day more than 50 children drew aliens at ISE.

Huntington Beach, California, United States

December 2011

The drawings from Thailand arrived in a box at Marine View Middle School. The filmmaker Joshua Ballinger and the art teacher Lily Sellig worked with the students. They opened the box like a present, picked their favourites, cut them out as stick puppets and animated them. Then they added what they love most: the beach and surfing.

Taganga, Colombia

March 2012

The third part of the D.A.S. Project was sound. The children watched animations made in California from drawings made in Thailand, then went on a sound hunt. The music producer Juan Pellegrino of the band Systema Solar produced the recordings. For the engine of a spaceship, the whole group moved a big sheet of tin roof together. Recording taught patience too: every sound needs silence around it.

Santa Monica, Los Angeles, United States

2012

Jose Rodriguez (14) met the filmmaker Alan Algee and the artist Hunami Sutton at Santa Monica beach for a Photo Rally. First he looked at the photographs from Rishikesh: the monkeys, the colours. His friends were shy at the start; by the end they followed the group around. His favourite subject was his family's dog, Oreo.

Bangkok, Thailand

January 2013

From 4 to 10 January 2013 CRE8 showed Connected Creativity at the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre. Visitors lay on mats and watched the D.A.S. film projected above them. In a Ping Pong Painting installation, students sat at special tables and joined in. Ten works went into a silent auction to pay for more workshops.

East Helsinki, Finland

February 2013

Maria from the Finnish studio Flukso ran a Most Realistic Alien workshop at Kellohalli library, with her friend Mirka Häyrynen. It was open for four hours, and it was full. Two-year-olds drew next to forty-year-olds; most were three to five. Some children folded paper planes (not UFOs) and flew them over everyone's heads.