October the 27th, Workshop in Sydenham Court

Photographs by Michael Hogg


The clay workshop.
People have the urge to make things and clay was the perfect medium for this. Firstly participants held the clay, squeezing it and pulling bits off. Through play, facilitators encouraged the participants to talk about the feeling and texture.

After, the tenants set out to produce figures of about 10cm in height. A couple of the participants decided that they would make each individual body parts and then construct the figure as a whole. The figures took on different forms, the easiest way to describe them is to say some were similar to morph (1970’s cartoon character), some like snow men and others formed from one continuous piece of clay. A couple of the participants had decided to produce their own works such as rabbits and pigs which gave great enjoyment to the creator and the group.

The workshop was slow to take off but once a couple of figures had been produced the workshop became busy and creative. After the figures were produced, participants would place them in the middle of the table. The figures formed a group and I think it was at this point the figures took on their own  personality.  

text by Sinead Hyndman