My role as a facilitator is to gently guide participants to explore the natural world around them, tap into play and imagination, and experience the joy of making.
When creativity takes over, we let go of fear and embrace the unknown, we find new ways of thinking and being. My goal when designing workshops is to bring people and stories together. To provide a glimpse into what inviting creativity and play into our everyday could look like.
Workshops are 1-2 hours in length for in-person sessions and can be adapted to Zoom. They are suitable for and can be adapted to all ages, abilities, and skill levels. Everyone is welcomed and honoured as an artist in their own right.
Colour Stories, Foraging & Making Natural Ink
Cultures around the world have rich histories and stories related to colour. Natural colour derived from plants, rocks, and shells is used as part of ritual and everyday life. In this workshop we will dive into stories and folklore around colour. You will learn how to safely and ethically forage for and use kitchen waste to create natural ink. We will create colour swatches of inks made by the artist and experiment with adding modifiers to shift colour. Finally we will paint a postcard using natural inks.
Bundle Dyeing on Silk
Natural dyeing has a long and rich history in communities around the world. Bundle dyeing is a simple, yet fascinating way to create texture and colour on cloth.
In this workshop we will explore using colours from kitchen waste to bundle dye silk. Participants will learn about the processes of mordanting cloth, preparing dye materials, techniques to bundle dye cloth, and aftercare of naturally dyed fabrics. At the end of the workshop, each participant will have a beautiful bundle dyed silk scarf to take home.
Pressed Flower Cards
Pressing flowers and foliage, particularly those that are wild or invasive is a lovely way to become more aware of the ecosystems around us and immerse ourselves in nature. In this workshop we will explore various wildflowers and ways to press and store them. We will design our own pressed flower cards as a healing springtime ritual.
Folklore Through Fabric
Through a folktale from Sindh, Pakistan, this workshop will explore our relationship with folklore. We will share both stories that are passed down from our ancestors and modern folklore.
Following creative prompts and writing, we will depict stories using a variety of repurposed South Asian fabrics. We will create a fabric collage with what was once sari, dupatta, and shalwar kameez fabric.
Places of Comfort: Making Miniature Worlds
We all have a place of comfort, whether real or imagined. In this workshop we will creatively reflect upon this theme through writing and drawing. We will transform ideas into a miniature world created using foraged, found, and upcycled materials.
Participants are invited to bring a teacup, mug, or vessel to create their world in, along with any materials they would like to incorporate — rocks, shells, dried flowers etc.
Dal Mandalas: Art, Food & Ritual
Dal, beans, spices and rice are easily found pantry items. In this workshop we will explore how to use these simple materials to create intricate and beautiful mandalas. Participants will be prompted to reflect upon our relationship with plants through art, food, and ritual.
We will design patterns, and create our own mandalas. These can either be used decoratively by gluing pieces onto a base, or as food through creating ephemeral mandalas.
