The imaginative works being highlighted at the Sharjah Children Biennial 2019

Entrants from around the world were tasked to come up with solutions to some of the planet’s most pressing issues under the theme 'A Future as Big as Your Imagination'

The SCB is held every two years and is organised by Sharjah Children in collaboration with UK-based global art project Little Inventors. Courtesy The Sharjah Children Biennial
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A meeting of young minds

The 3,494 entries for the 2019 Sharjah Children Biennial come from:

435 – UAE

2,000 – China

808 – United Kingdom

165 – Argentina

38 – Lebanon

16 – Saudi Arabia

16 – Bangladesh

6 – Ireland

3 – Egypt

3 – France

2 – Sudan

1 – Kuwait

1 – Australia
 

A winged "miracle chair" that allows people with disabilities to fly. A solar-powered scooter that whizzes along as it converts the sun's rays into kinetic energy. An agricultural scarecrow that has special insect-repelling qualities.

It might sound like the stuff science-fiction is made of, but these are actually the ideas of some of the world’s most imaginative young inventors, who are participating in the sixth Sharjah Children Biennial, which launched yesterday at the Mughaider Children’s Centre for Arts in Sharjah.

The SCB is held every two years and is organised by Sharjah Children, a subsidiary of Rubu’ Qarn Foundation, in collaboration with UK-based global art project Little Inventors.

Entrants from around the world were tasked to come up with solutions to some of the planet’s most pressing issues, using just their creative skills and imagination, under the theme “A Future as Big as Your Imagination”.

The month-long exhibition runs until March 20, showcasing a shortlist of nearly 50 prototypes and inventions.  

Overall, a total of 3,494 submissions flooded in from 13 countries, including 435 from the UAE, designed by hopeful participants aged six to 18. Of the thousands, just 48 were chosen as finalists, and worked on by a team of designers and artists to bring the prototypes to life.

The inventions focus on three core values: helping others, the environment, and entertainment and creativity.

Here, we take a closer look at five of the chosen projects, and hear more about the ideas from the inventors themselves.

The Miracle Chair

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[Missing Caption]

Inventor: Sahila

Age: 12

Location: Sharjah, UAE

What’s it all about? “A chair designed for the disabled with wings helps to fly away from the crowds, cars, stairs and buses. A disabled person can easily move from place to place. This invention made me think about the happiness of the disabled.”

Six-legged Chair

six-legged chair
six-legged chair

Inventor: Max

Age: 8

Location: Tamworth, UK

What’s it all about? “My invention is for people who rock on their chair so they don’t get hurt. What it does is, when you’re about to fall off, the two other legs come out and plant into the ground so you don’t actually fall.”

Candyfloss Volcano

candy floss volcano
candy floss volcano

Inventor: Betsy

Age: 8

Location: London, UK

What’s it all about? “You push a button … you have candyfloss fire that’s edible and it’s not dangerous. You use the fire to toast the marshmallows.”

A Solar Scooter

solar scooter
solar scooter

Inventor: Moza

Age: 11

Location: Sharjah, UAE

What’s it all about? “Solar scooter is a device that converts solar energy to kinetic energy. It has buttons to operate the scooter and buttons to close the panels.”

Agricultural Scarecrow

Agricultural scarecrow
Agricultural scarecrow

Inventor: Alia

Age: 8 Location: Sharjah, UAE

What's it all about? "An agricultural scarecrow works to remove insects from the farm and is powered by solar energy. Her eyes light up and lighten. Her shape is terrifying for insects and her hands have a moving thread."

For more information on the Sharjah Children Biennial, visit www.children-centers.ae

A meeting of young minds

The 3,494 entries for the 2019 Sharjah Children Biennial come from:

435 – UAE

2,000 – China

808 – United Kingdom

165 – Argentina

38 – Lebanon

16 – Saudi Arabia

16 – Bangladesh

6 – Ireland

3 – Egypt

3 – France

2 – Sudan

1 – Kuwait

1 – Australia