Community engagement
BBAM Block Printing
28/09/2024
For BBAM Festival 2024, ZEST artists Poppy Ash, Lucie Smith, Anna Marris, and Alice Louisa facilitated a free block printing activity held in the MAST Studios in Southampton. The activity encouraged participants to experiment with creating custom stamps that reflected on their identities and cultures. Each participant then layered stamps using relief printing ink onto squares of calico fabric. Once dry, the prints will be stitched together to form a collaborative community artwork that celebrates Southampton’s diverse communities.
BBAM Festival recognises the contributions of black businesses, artists, and musicians. It is a vibrant celebration of Southampton’s African, Caribbean, and Black British communities.
Image credits Alice Louisa.
Treasure Chimes
28/07/2024
ZEST artists Lucie Smith and Alice Louisa organised and facilitated ‘Treasure Chimes’, a free creative workshop taking place at Ropewalk Community Garden in Southampton.
Participants were encouraged to forage the community gardens to use for their treasure chime, which uses the classic wind chime design to create decorative and interactive sculptures that incorporate natural and found materials.
The images below show work-in-progress shots during the workshop and the final outcomes created.
Image credits Alice Louisa.
REstore nature now
15/06/2024
ZEST artists James Hewins and Alex Sutherland joined Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust alongside other artists and local environmental groups at God’s House Tower to facilitate collaborative workshops for the public. James and Alex led a banner workshop, which encouraged the public to draw and paint nature inspired designs across a large scale banner. The collaborative outcome was then taken to the Restore Nature Now rally in London and was paraded by Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust.
PLAYSCAPES
11/05/2024
ZEST artists Anna Marris and Alice Louisa lead a free creative workshop as part of ‘Love Where You Live’, a community event held at St Mary’s Leisure Centre in Southampton. The ‘Love Where You Live’ campaign is organised and facilitated by Southampton City Council which, as stated on the council website, “[was] launched to help work closer with local communities in order to tackle neighbourhood issues, so that even more people can feel proud of their local area”. For more details on previous events head to https://www.southampton.gov.uk/housing/your-tenancy/tenants-link/article/love-where-you-live/
Beginning with a cardboard box, participants were invited to reimagine their favourite places in Southampton to create miniature ‘playscapes’ using collage, painting, and drawing. Participants were asked to think about the changes they would most like to see in the city, whether that was more benches, less waste, or better access to green spaces to relax and play. Adding those ideas to their playscape designs!
The images below show work-in-progress shots during the workshop and the final outcomes created.
Image credits Alice Louisa.
