Creating compassion in a picture book within conservation effort

Abstract

The Anoa Breeding Centre, established by the Indonesian Ministry of Environment and Forestry in 2005, is a wildlife conservation institution focuses on saving an Indonesian endangered endemic mammal, anoa, from extinction due to deforestation and poaching in the region. The Centre has operated multiple programs from sheltering individual animals, restoring the population in their natural habitat, to educating the people in the local community to seek their understanding and support in am attempt to terminate poaching. However, despite the continuous effort, there has still been a lack of awareness amongst the public regarding the plight of the anoa. In order to help to solve the awareness issue as part of the education and outreach activities at the Centre, this practice-based thesis developed the illustrations for a picture book to share the sense of concern among the community and further the conservation effort in collaboration with the institution. In particular, the thesis examines the various factors which contribute to enhancing humans’ compassionate and empathetic response for others, especially non-human beings. The creative practices in the thesis aim to apply these factors to the development of animal character illustrations through purposeful anthropomorphism so that the images convey their emotions to the readers, who are expected to become supporters of the conservation efforts with sense of empathy. The thesis also discusses the role of other components of illustrations in a picture book, such as colors and compositions, as tools of storytelling that communicate the characters’ emotions and feelings to readers in addition to the application of the anthropomorphic interpretation. The outcome is a complete series of finalized analog illustrations that comprise the picture book made with acrylic gouache and pencils, including the cover image. The research suggests using a picture book as a way to discuss social issues while providing the aesthetic value of the art and design as an entertaining and enjoyable medium.