From 18 to 20 May 2026, Thessaloniki, Greece, became the setting for the third artistic workshop of the REWIND Project, organised by the Cultural Association SKILLHUB. The three-day experience brought participants together to explore graphic novels as a creative tool for addressing gender stereotypes through images, narratives, and digital experimentation.
The workshop in Thessaloniki built on the activities developed during the previous online session, where participants had started working in three groups to create their own graphic novels. Characters, stories, and initial storyboard sketches developed remotely became the starting point for an intensive in-person creative process.
Thessaloniki Through the Lens of a Graphic Novel
The city itself played an important role in the creative experience. On 18 May, participants explored different areas of Thessaloniki, observing and photographing urban spaces, architecture, streets, and everyday scenes.
Rather than simply serving as a backdrop, Thessaloniki became part of the storytelling process. Participants searched for places, perspectives, and details that could visually represent the stories they had begun to develop, collecting original photographic material to incorporate into their graphic novels.
This approach offered an opportunity to connect fictional narratives with real environments and to experiment with new ways of transforming everyday spaces into visual storytelling elements.
From Photographs and Storyboards to Digital Narratives
Once the photographic material had been collected, the groups moved on to the digital production phase.
With the support of SKILLHUB collaborators, participants selected and processed their images, transformed them into individual frames, and combined them with the characters, dialogues, and narratives developed during the earlier stages of the project.
Working collaboratively, the three groups gradually transformed their initial ideas and sketches into structured graphic novel pages. The process brought together different forms of expression, combining photography, writing, visual composition, and digital tools within a shared creative experience.
Exploring Gender Stereotypes Through Creativity
At the heart of the workshop was the opportunity to use art and storytelling to reflect on gender stereotypes.
The graphic novel format allowed participants to approach these themes from different perspectives and translate their ideas into accessible and visually engaging stories. Through characters, situations, images, and dialogue, the groups developed narratives capable of encouraging reflection while maintaining a strong creative dimension.
The final works reflect the diversity of participants’ perspectives and demonstrate how collaborative artistic practices can create spaces for dialogue around social issues.
The experience also highlighted the potential of combining traditional storytelling techniques with contemporary digital tools, giving participants the freedom to experiment with different visual languages and ways of communicating their ideas.
The REWIND Creative Journey Continues
The completion of the Thessaloniki workshop represents an important stage in the artistic journey of the REWIND Project. What began with characters, ideas, and storyboard sketches during the online sessions has now evolved into a collection of original graphic novels developed through collaboration and creative experimentation.
Through experiences such as the Thessaloniki workshop, REWIND continues to explore how art, storytelling, and digital creativity can contribute to challenging stereotypes and opening new perspectives on gender representation.