This workshop will be delivered by Clare-Louise Battersby and is designed for artists, makers, and creative practitioners who wish to explore how their practice can align more deeply with place, land, and non-extractive ways of working. Rooted in the principles of biophilic design and the Gaelic concept of Dùthchas, the session invites participants to reconnect with their creative practice through sensory exploration, storytelling, and material reflection.
The workshop is entirely table-based and grounded in physical making and journaling. It uses simple, low-tech materials - such as reclaimed fabric, wool, paper tags, pastels, and beeswax - to guide participants in the creation of a symbolic Response Object: a small, tactile representation of a personal creative reflection. Throughout the session, participants will be offered gentle prompts to consider how they might root more deeply into place, story, and ecological responsibility.
Clare-Louise will deliver a short reflective introduction to the workshop on Dùthchas, biophilic design, and her own artistic practice working with natural materials, nature, waste wool and visual story-telling. This will set the context for making, inviting participants to explore where their creative process meets land, loss, legacy, and imagination.
The format is intentionally analogue - no screens, no devices, no digital distractions. The act of being present, of working with the hands, and of sharing insights in person is a deliberate counter to digital fatigue and a reinforcement of creative wellbeing.
The venue is fully wheelchair accessable.
This workshop has been made possible with funding from the Cairngorms Trust and the Scottish Government in partnership with the Cairngorms National Park Authority and the National Lottery Heritage Fund, thanks to National Lottery players.
