Soanes Centre Summer Programme: Collective Making with Ceramics and Textiles
Come join us at The Soanes Centre for our new summer programme exploring the past, present and future of the building. This workshop will allow participants to learn and explore new skills in textiles, printmaking and ceramics guided by experienced artists from our community. Textiles workshops will be led by Christie Swallow (who recently completed a residency at the Design Museum), and Morgan Passmore-Barry, with ceramics activities led by Phineas Cashman and Rhea Martin.
We're interested in how environmental education has changed, and how it has stayed the same, over the past 30 years. We'll use references from the ponds and the park to inspire the creation of new artworks, as well as stories and photos from years past.
- The workshop is suitable for those who have attended the Soanes Centre in the past, and those who are encountering it for the first time!
- All ages, both children and adults, are welcome to attend, but children should be supervised by their parents.
- The workshop is free to attend and suitable for drop ins. It's helpful if you register in advance, but you're also welcome to just show up on the day!
About the Soanes Centre
The Soanes Centre was purpose-built in 1993 as an environmental study and community centre. It sits within Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park, which is recognised as a site of ecological importance. For almost 30 years it has been stewarded by Setpoint London East, an outdoor education charity who have been committed to developing its reputation as a pioneer of community-led outdoor education, facilitating much-needed access to nature and green space for hundreds of thousands of school children across Tower Hamlets and East London.
Alongside many other community organisations in the borough, Setpoint have been without the security of a formal lease for some time. In 2024, they were issued with an eviction notice, and have since been campaigning toward a long-term lease. This event series aims to support their development of a community-led plan for the building moving forward.
