Wandle Industrial Museum - Workshops in September

The Museum will be holding two workshops on Saturday 12th September and Saturday 26th September by artists Elly Platt and artist Doug Shaw in partnership with South East Rivers Trust.

There will be a gentle walk along a short section of the Wandle and then creating art in response to it.

Tickets are available for each workshop at:

Sept 12th https://www.tickettailor.com/events/consultingartist/2381297

Sept 26th https://www.tickettailor.com/events/consultingartist/2383744

The River Wandle, a rare and precious chalk stream nature habitat, runs through our neighbourhood.

• How well do you know it?

• How often do you wander alongside it?

• How accessible and meaningful is the river to you?

The artists invite you to join them and spend time sharing your understanding of the river, what it currently means to you and how you might like to see yours and the wider community's relationship with this unique nature space develop and improve.

Working with South East Rivers Trust and London National Park City Rangers, your thoughts and reflections will feed into Chalk Stream Connectors, a project designed to improve access to, understanding and appreciation of, chalk streams.

Who is this for?

This workshop is open to all. We are particularly keen to hear from people who feel underrepresented in green spaces, including older people (65+), Young people (16-30), carers (young people and adults), individuals with disabilities, health conditions or impairments, and people from minoritised ethnic backgrounds

What’s involved?

Working with local London National Park City Rangers and artists Elly Platt and Doug Shaw, you are invited to come together for a short talk and conversation about the river. You will have an opportunity to discuss and share your current experience of the river, learn more about this important nature space, and interact with it by taking a gentle, mindful wander along a section of the river, reflecting on your experience as you go.

Your reflections will be brought to life in various forms including:

• Writing

• Sketching

• Sewing

• Printmaking

You will be gently guided by Elly and Doug, who both know and have experience of the river, and the suggested creative practices we will explore. Once the walk is concluded, you are invited to curate your reflections into your own handmade zine.

The learning, sharing, and work we create together will help South East Rivers Trust improve its understanding of how people currently feel about the river, and will feed into a funding application to the National Lottery Heritage Fund, which if successful will enable changes to be made to ensure the rivers are more welcoming and accessible for everyone.