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Roald Dahl's The BFG inspires bottled artworks by Quentin Blake and Jill Berelowitz for Save the Children

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Date
17 August 2016
Four glass jars with wooden lids act as display cases for various objects. They contain a folded illustration of butterflies, dried twigs, a small framed picture, and a large white daisy with bees.

Save the Children’s latest fund raising campaign, inspired by Roald Dahl’s beloved children’s book The BFG, sees a plethora of leading artists and famous faces have their dreams realised, sculpted and bottled in jars. The 50 sculptural works are currently on display around the UK, and will be auctioned for the charity on 31 August.

Quentin Blake illustrated his flying dream jar himself, while a plethora of other leading artists including Jane Morgan, Romero Britto, Jill Berelowitz, Sabine Roemer, Geraldine van Heemstra and Robert Bradford have also been involved in seeing their dreams come to life. While a team of artists from 3DEye were tasked with realising the dreams of a host of famous celebrities and public figures.

Jill Berelowitz sculpted the dream tree in her jar from bronze, featuring at the base of the trunk tiny children reading, playing and dreaming: “I create trees because I strongly believe in regeneration and life cycles. My dream for this project is that troubled children will achieve their dreams.”

The Countess of Wessex’s jar was realised by sculptor Ryan McElhinney, and depicts a girl on a swing, cast in metal and resin. While Holts Academy produced a giant bee gathering nectar on a daily out of resin, metal and Swarovski crystals. Jane Morgan covers her jar entirely in pennies.

The large-scale jars, up to six feet in height, are currently on display throughout the UK, forming a public art installation called The BFG Dream Jar Trail, dotted around in locations such as The Museum of Modern Art in Glasgow, The Lowry in Manchester, The Hayes in Cardiff and London landmarks such as Trafalgar Square, the Tower of London, Leicester Square and The Shard.

Steven Spielberg, who directed the latest adaptation of Roald Dahl’s book, and Mark Rylance who voiced the eponymous character, are among the other names involved alongside Professor Stephen Hawking, Dame Helen Mirren, the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, Maisie Williams, Tim Minchin, the author’s granddaughter Sophie Dahl, and more.

A sculpture of a white daisy and a bee enclosed within a large glass jar. The jar has a woven lid and sits on a bed of green grass.
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Holts Academy for Hatton Garden: The Diamond Garden

A sculpture of thin, silver-toned branches enclosed within a large, clear glass vessel with a wooden stopper. Tiny human figures are perched and climbing across the branches, with a few more gathered at the base.
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Jill Berelowitz: Tree of Dreams

A sculpture of a large, bulbous vase covered in thousands of small copper coins. The piece sits on a dark square plinth against a plain white background.
Above

Jane Morgan: Penny for Your Thoughts

A sculpture of a poodle made from colourful flowers stands inside a large glass jar with a cork lid. A small plaque at the base reads “Robert’s Dream”.
Above

Robert Bradford: Dreamy Dreaming Dreams Dog

A sculpture of a child on a swing, all rendered in matte white, is enclosed within a large glass jar. The figure swings over a small patch of green grass and dark soil.
Above

Ryan McElhinney for Countess of Wessex: Innocence

A sculpture of a colourful, fragmented heart sits inside a large glass jar. The jar is filled at the bottom with gold glitter and topped with a matching glittery lid.
Above

Romero Britto: Dream Big

A sculpture of a small white owl wearing a jewelled crown, perched atop a purple amethyst geode. The figure is enclosed within a large glass bell jar with a carved wooden lid.
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Sabine Roemer: Amethyst Owl

A glass jar with a wooden lid contains a mixed-media assemblage. Inside, a painting of a figure in a red military jacket is surrounded by handwritten notes, brushes, and scraps of fabric.
Above

Geraldine van Heemstra: Creativity Takes Flight

A folded piece of paper with colourful sketches sits inside a large glass jar with a brown lid. The drawings include a winged figure and various abstract shapes in pastel tones.
Above

Quentin Blake: I Dreamt I Could Fly

A small, folded illustration of birds and floral elements sits inside a large glass jar with a cork lid. The artwork is displayed upright on a grey circular plinth.
Above

Quentin Blake: I Dreamt I Could Fly

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About the Author

Jamie Green

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Jamie joined It’s Nice That back in May 2016 as an editorial assistant. And, after a seven-year sojourn away planning advertising campaigns for the likes of The LEGO Group and Converse, he came back to look after New Business & Partnerships here at It’s Nice That until September 2024.

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