community & collaboration/ access / public art
I combine writing, drawing, painting, and animation to create accessible visual narratives exploring intersectional topics such as social justice and mobility, racism and discrimination, climate and health inequalities, participation and the impact of digital technologies.
My work is a balance of active listening, information capturing and visual interpretation. I translate key ideas and emotions into imagery and metaphors, challenging linear thinking and fostering shared understanding.
I create infographics, illustrations, murals, animations, and large-scale captures of live events, a practice also known as visual minutes, scribing or graphic recording, visual note-taking and sketch-noting.
I facilitate workshops aiming at supporting people of all ages and background to unlock their creativity and critical thinking through the use of visuals. I worked in schools across Europe, and for international projects, as well as different organisations in the UK.
New commissions include large scale permanent mural works co-produced with inmates at High Down, Brixton prisons (Bounce Back commissioned) to reduce re-offending and trauma; doodling workshops with nurses leading to co-designed mural for exhibition (Royal College of Nursing Library/Heritage Centre); interactive workshops on green/circular economy (commissioned by PRD consulting/Newham/Southwark Council); visuals, on working with neurodiverse youth (commissioned by the South London Community Forensic CAMHS and Mental Health Partnership); advocacy workshops with people living with HIV and focusing on stigma (partnership with Red Ribbon Living Well/Metro).
Collaborations include: Oxford University, Imperial College, London School of Economics, King’s College, UCL, University of Coventry, University of Liverpool, Queen’s Mary University, Paris Institute for Advanced Study, International Rescue Committee, British Red Cross, British Council, Wellcome Trust, Southbank Centre, Barbican, Social Mobility Commission, Crisis, Mind, Lankelly Chase foundation, The Commonwealth, Poplar Union, Royal College of Nursing, British Medical Association, SafeLives, Volunteering Matters, St Christopher’s Hospice, AHRC, Shoreditch Trust, Global Street Art, Reporters Without Borders, National Enterprise for nanoScience and nanoTechnology, Lambeth, Newham, Southwark councils, Essex/Oxfordshire County Councils.
Graphic Recording, Scribing, Visual Minutes, Illustration and MORE
What’s Frailty (2023)
Commissioner
Imperial College London
Animation representing the findings from a series of interviews and focus group with older people living with frailty, their families, and the clinicians who work with them. The project focused on how people planned for a health crisis requiring escalation of treatment, such as admission to a hospital or the ICU.
Doodle Wall (2023)
Commissioner
Royal College of Nursing
The mural was part of the exhibition “Unmasked, telling real nursing storiesduring the Covid-19 pandemic”, on display at the Royal College of Nursing Library and Heritage Center, London, until October 2023.
Doodle Wall brings together the voices of participants from a series of workshops I facilitated at the Royal College of Nursing over a year in 2022-23. These workshops focused on capturing the lived experiences of nurses during the Covid-19 pandemic. The goal was to use doodling as both a therapeutic activity and a creative method to convey stories and enhance understanding.
Throughout the workshops, I employed a creative approach that involved various techniques including visual mapping, abstract and figurative doodling, and exercises using metaphors to engage participants’ imaginations and emotions. The resulting artwork aimed to foster visibility, a sense of belonging, and empowerment among the participants. It served as a visual representation of their collective experiences and provided a platform for their voices to be heard.
Doodle Wall captured the unique perspectives and narratives of nurses during a challenging time. It explored themes of isolation, long COVID, protection, and the relationship between nurse and patient, creating a space for reflection and connection.
Improving the prison environment (2016-17)
Commissioner
BounceBack
The themes were developed and co-designed with the inmates through a series of workshops. The aim was creating a more welcoming, positive, educational and visually stimulating environment for children and families, to reduce the trauma of visiting a family member in prison and improving the quality of the time they can spend together during the visits.
Art mural projects inside two prisons in London, the HMP HighDown and HMP Brixton. The artwork include different areas and a total of 20 walls of different sizes.
One of the main projects for the visitor centre inside HM Brixton was led incollaboration with fellows from the Royal Astronomical Society, with the aim of fostering understanding and education around the universe.
Astronomical room, including a galaxy wall, inspirational quotes from astronauts, and an interactive solar system for the children area, made of removable/attachable planets.
One of the main projects for HM High Down was in the Homework club, the room where children can do homework with their fathers during visiting time. It includes an interactive world map with removable/attachable landmarks and a historical timeline mural illustrating inventions in the history of transportation and communication.
In addition to the murals, I conducted a series of interviews with ex offenders, now working with Bounce Back social enterprise. I then turned the interviews into protrait pieces including their personal stories using my digital tablet.
Testimonials
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“Fede has covered our Black History Month event for the past three years. Her ability to capture on a large scale the key messages and the mood of the audience in her artistic impressions has been exceptional. She captured the flow of the day as per programme, which allows you to be able to relate to the story being told. I have also been impressed by her friendly and professional approach to the audience which is why I would have no hesitation to recommend Fede to anyone. Thank you Fede – always a pleasure working with you.”
Bruno Daniel, Senior Officer, Royal College Of Nursing
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“Federica worked with the Internationalism team on one of our most important events, a seminar bringing together some of our key partners. She created digital visual minutes on her tablet, connecting to a second screen. Many participants found the process beneficial and commented that seeing visual rather written notes made the event more accessible. We found the final piece to perfectly capture the essence of the event, and we have since used it to promote our work. We hope to collaborate with Federica again on upcoming events and would highly recommend her work”
Asya Robins, Internationalism Coordinator, British Council
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"Fede is a wonderful artist, and a pleasure to work with. She translated complicated research findings into interesting and relatable illustrations, and they communicated better than words could. She collaborated with the Red Cross brand team to ensure the pictures met their requirements, while maintaining her own distinctive style. I would commission her again, without question”
Susan Cooke, Policy, Research & Advocacy Manager, British Red Cross
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“Federica is a very talented artist, who produced exceptional work aligned with our business goals. She recently created a series of hand drawn digital illustrations for a change management initiative, that was the largest one this far at our firm. She listened keenly to the purpose of each illustration and produced them on target and in time frame needed. I would definitively work with Federica again as her work, business acumen and professionalism are exceptional"
Anne Browning, Global Workplace Solutions Manager, CBRE