BAMM Forum: Collaboration. Scarborough 2025

This is an exciting mosaic weekend break in the beautiful Victorian seaside town of Scarborough, where you will be welcomed into the warm and engaging BAMM community of fellow mosaic enthusiasts. The members' exhibition opens at Woodend Gallery on Friday 3rd October with the private view at 7.30pm, continuing until 9pm.

On Saturday 4th, following the AGM, we have a full day of inspiring presentations lined up, including special guest speakers Turner Prize winning Jeremy Deller and Coralie Turpin in conversation, talking about their new commission in Scarborough, "Roman Mosaic c.2025". Also with us, by video link, will be Rachel Sager, creator and curator of The Ruins Project. Rachel will share her philosophy, "The Power of Place", and the approach taken to build this fascinating long-term collaborative project and will reveal an exclusive new collaboration for BAMM members.

There are plenty of exciting things to look forward to at the 2025 BAMM Forum, including a marketplace where attendees can snaffle themselves all sorts of mosaic-related goodies. There will be stalls selling vintage china, second-hand books, small bags of tiles and assorted tesserae, and we are asking everyone who comes to the forum to donate some unwanted items which we can sell to raise funds for BAMM. In addition to these, there will be a raffle and a book stall, and we will be inviting some suppliers, representatives from Ardex/BAL, a stall-holder who sells costume jewellery, beads and spangly trinkets, to attend. Tamara Froud will be hosting a community make based on the concept of ‘memory’ to be installed at the National Memorial Arboretum.

There will also be an art walking tour, an evening meal and music event, plus a series of fabulous masterclasses that you can sign up to take part in on Sunday 5th October! Join us and be part of this magical and inspirational weekend - it is one not to be missed!

Our exciting programme for 2025 includes:

9.00 - Welcome - tea & coffee

9.30 - 10 AGM members update and voting. [Please note that the AGM will also be streamed live via Zoom. Members can reserve a free ticket if they wish to attend just the online AGM and details with the Zoom link will be sent nearer the time.]

10am - Alex McHallam & Liz Tiranti will talk about their collaborative project recently installed in London.

10.30 - 'River of a thousand streams' London School of Mosaic will present the project they created with designer Adam Nathaniel Furman.

11.15 - Tea break and Market with suppliers, books, crockery & materials stalls

11.45 - Gabrielle Naptali - Scarborough community mosaics

12.10 - Pecha Kucha - Jen Watson community mixed media piece, Helen Miles & Alison MacCormaic's residency

12.30 - 1.30 - Vintage teaset Lunch (suitable to all diets, included in ticket price)Market/community make memory project with Tamara Froud for The National Memorial Arboretum

1.30 - Rachel Sager video presentation and BAMM project 'Power of Place' reveal

2.15 - Tea break and market

3.00 - 'Roman Mosaic c.2025' Jeremy Deller & Coralie Turpin, film & conversation

3.45 - Market, book signing, community make with Tamara Froud for the National Memorial Arboretum

4.45 - Walking tour of Scarborough mosaics and artworks

7pm - Evening meal and raffle

8pm - Band and social

Sunday - Masterclasses 10am - 4pm

SUNDAY MASTERCLASSES

Sunday 5th October. 10am-4pm

Please note that these are only available to BAMM members. Lunch is not included.

Refunds for masterclasses are only available up to 30 days before the event starts unless your place can be reallocated to someone else. If the class you wish to take is full, please contact us to be added to a waitlist.

Power of Place

This is an intriguing and innovative new masterclass, conceived and designed especially for Scarborough 2025, to further explore Rachel Sager's philosophy about The Power of Place.

Manchester-based artists Tracey and Alison have had their studios in the same building since 2018, providing an opportunity to share their mutual interests through a series of collaborative initiatives, including the annual Mark Making & Mosaics and Collage, Ceramics and Mosaics courses. Alison is well known for her hand-built ceramic works of art, always inspired by her personal connection to place, be it landscape, viaducts, cooling towers, football stadia...even car parks! She regularly exhibits her work at prestigious venues and events throughout the North of England. Tracey has collaborated with many artists, architects, fabricators and communities to design, make and install site-specific works of public art for city centre and rural community spaces over a period of more than 30 years.

During this masterclass, we will explore how to unlock the spiritual, historical and physical characteristics that contribute to The Power of Place. Without spoiling the surprise before the initiative is officially launched at the Forum by Rachel Sager, let's just say that: "we will use a variety of techniques to create a series of pieces with earth, photography, words and found objects. You will create items to take away with you and items that will be sent out to you later." Curious? Ready to take a chance and try something new? We hope so - see you there!

Delivered by Tracey Cartledge in collaboration with Alison Waters

Above Image: Compass Rose by Deb Englebaugh for The Ruins Project

Cabinets of Curiosity

Be it beach combing, mud larking or memory ware, everyone has a collection of sentimental bits 'n' pieces waiting for that perfect project.

Join Lisa-marie , Coordinator of BAMM North, as she shares her signature style and delve into the world of mixed-media mosaic assemblage.

Adapting frames/boxes/trays to create a 'cabinet'.

Selecting contents to tell a story or represent a person/place of significance.

Collaborate with other workshop attendees in a content swap.

Juxtaposition of featured found objects and more traditional mosaic materials.

To grout or not to grout, that is the question.

Tonal Composition in Mosaics

As a mosaic artist you need to juggle.

Texture, line, andamento, colour, composition, tone and materials are just some of the things that we need to consider when designing a mosaic. As an art term, tone describes the lightness or darkness of colours, while composition characterises the arrangement of visual elements including shape and lights and darks within the work. Within mosaics, as in most other artforms, these two elements are interconnected.

Sometimes it can seem a little overwhelming and it is easy to focus on one thing to the detriment of others. This workshop strips away the confusion and takes you back to the essentials of successful mosaic design. You will learn about the principles of composition and understand why tone lies at the heart of effective mosaic images.

In this collaborative class, you will work with a partner to develop an abstract composition using viewfinders and a change in scale. Each person will choose their own tonal range of colours and generate individual mosaics working from the same design. The finished mosaics can then be compared and contrasted during the workshop’s closing reflection.

Throughout the process, you will acquire an understanding of how to approach mosaic through the fundamental principle of tonal composition. Creating a mosaic will seem less like juggling and more like being in the driving seat – if you will excuse the mixed metaphors!

Tools: Wheeled glass cutters.

Materials: Purpose made vitreous glass, Titebond II Premium Wood Glue, 12mm Jackoboard

Outcome: An understanding of composition and tone in mosaics. You will take home a 20cm square mosaic.

Helen Miles is a classically trained mosaicist with a particular interest in andamento. Alison MacCormaic studied Architectural Glass at Edinburgh College of Art, teaches composition and is renowned for her use of colour in mosaics.

Quirky Birds with Tamara Froud

Fancy bringing out your inner quirky bird? In this workshop, you will go through a step-by step process to make your own quirky bird armature from scratch, that you can go on to mosaic in your own time.

WHAT: We will work with wire, foam and mesh to create armatures with attitude.

Taking inspiration from your imagination or from the real world of quirky birds out there, we will work on the technique and then consider mosaic options for your finished piece.

OUTCOME: You will walk away with 1 quirky bird armature and knowledge of how to complete your piece.

This workshop has been inspired by and developed with the incredibly talented Wendy Edwards of Tasmania. You can see more of her work on Instagram @wendyedwardsart

LEVEL: All levels - no experience necessary

MATERIALS PROVIDED

Some tools will need to be shared in the group – please be patient or if you have them at home, please label and bring along for your own use.

• Wire of different gauges and wire mesh
• Foam
• Protective gloves / safety glasses
• Leather work gloves for sharing
• Apoxy sculpt and sculpting tools
• Selection of beaks and possible eyes

WHAT YOU NEED TO BRING

A photo, drawing or mental image of what you would like to make

A pair of plyers

PPE – safety gloves and apron

Also good to bring if you can

Leather work gloves

Wire cutters

Small selection of materials for discussion to inspire you and others

Special eyes if you happen to have them

PLEASE NOTE: this is an armature class not a mosaic session.

'An exploration of eyes', a mosaic eyes portraiture workshop with Mary Goodwin.

Mary will guide attendees through the stages of creating mosaic eye portraits with a collaborative twist. Materials included.

The workshop will begin with an experimental and collaborative mosaic game exploring the makeup of eyes.

Participants will then create their own mosaic eye using the varied colourways of Johnson’s prismatic wall tiles and broken crockery. The result can be as psychedelic, photo real or anything in-between!

You will be asked to send Mary a close-up photo of an eye of your choice; it could be yours, a loved one or any that catch your eye.