As part of our ongoing 8-week partnership with Positive Paths, Yvonne has shared her knowledge of needle felting with the group. Everyone explored the possibilities of using felt and made felted badges to wear.
Author: Ashleen
Creative Sessions – Positive Paths and Julien
As part of our 8-week creative sessions with Positive Paths, Julien shared his knowledge and interest in sculpting characters made from monster clay and exploring AI and digital platforms to animate them. The group each had the opportunity to sculpt and decorate their characters and then capture them using the app Polycam. Julien then created…
Poverty, precarity and community empowerment: Who decides?
We had a brilliant day taking part in the “Poverty, precarity and community empowerment: Who decides?” exhibition showcasing the impactful work of the Binks Hub research network. Our community stall featured a collaborative banner made using digital print and applique techniques; a sound piece capturing the sounds and commentary of our studio at Silvan House;…
Creative Sessions – Positive Paths and Mahboob
We recently made a connection through our local community networking with the organisation Positive Paths who were enquiring about creative space and artistic guidance for their participants. Through this, we established an 8-week partnership with them where our members could share their artistic practice and run a series of creative sessions for the group. Mahboob…
V&A – Garden Futures: Designing with Nature
The Curious Routes group travelled up to Dundee to visit the Garden Futures: Designing with Nature exhibition at the V&A Museum. We were inspired by the creative elements and variety of community projects that were on display. It was a fantastic day out together.
Trip to Seacliff
The group visited Seacliff beach in East Lothian to spend time together enjoying the seaside, walking and swimming. It was a beautiful day out!
Silvan House Open Day
Our Curious Routes Open Day at Silvan House saw a wide range of activities on show with people encouraged to take part. We were also treated to delicious Nepalese dumplings from Momo! For more information and to take part in one of our workshops, get in touch
Curious Zoo – Felting
Curious Routes have continued their workshop series in collaboration with Edinburgh Zoo- taking inspiration from zoo spaces and nature. This week our session was led by member Yvonne, sharing her knowledge and interest in felting and embroidery with the group. Everyone had a great time learning the processes and developing their own imagery. The group…
Curious Zoo – Drawing
Curious Routes have been running a weekly workshop series alongside their regular studio sessions led by Artists Heather Ridley-Moran and Ashleen Lewis. This workshop series is in collaboration with RZSS Edinburgh Zoo- taking inspiration from zoo spaces and nature. The group visited the zoo to document animals, plant, enclosures, and sounds and have then taken…
Studio Space at Silvan House
Our group has moved to the Ground Floor of Silvan House in Corstorphine and have been busy setting up our studio space and creating new work. We are currently planning how we can run workshops and events in this space. Stay tuned!
Exhibition Visits
Throughout the winter, we organised a series of gallery visits across Scotland to tour different exhibitions. The group visited Dundee V&A: Tartan, RSA: Grayson Perry, Modern One: Do Ho Suh, Modern Two: Paolozzi at 100 and Inverleith House: Silent Archive.
From Drawing to Design
A series of beautiful blankets currently on display in our Ocean Terminal space were designed and made in a collaborative project between Artlink, Care for Carers, Robert Gillan and the six participants. The six people who took part all have lived experience of caring for someone within their family. While each of their caring experiences…
Creative Textile Workshop
Our Wednesday evening textile workshops have continued as participants focus on their designs for digital printing and finishing embroidering their collaborative screenprinted panels.
Foraging walk at Three Hares Woodland
In collaboration with Edinburgh Ukrainian Centre and Cait O’Neill, a group of families from the Ukrainian Community visited Three Hares Woodland to participate in outdoor activities, foraging and sharing food around a fire. It was a lovely day out amongst nature sharing knowledge of plants, wildlife and folklore in Scotland and Ukraine.
Creative Textile Workshop
In collaboration with local community group Mwamba, a group has been meeting on Wednesday afternoons in the Curious Routes space at Ocean Terminal to explore the processes of creative textile design, screen printing, embroidery, sewing and applique techniques. The group is currently working on a collaborative project to explore techniques and will move on to…
Birdwatching
After conversations with members Franco and Alex about their passion for birdwatching, we decided to collaborate with RSPB, MECOPP and the Edinburgh and Lothians Greenspace Trust to create a series of birdwatching outings around East Lothian and Edinburgh. We have visited North Berwick, Seacliff Beach, Aberlady Nature Reserve, Harlaw Reservoir, Figgate Park and St. Abbs….
Care for Carers Workshop at Suntrap
Through our Curious Routes journey we have encountered many people and organisations along the way. Franco, one of our participants, got involved with Curious Routes a few years back while he was caring for his wife. As part of his support, Care for Carers became really important through his time. We invited them to an…
Textiles along the Canal
This month we collaborated with the Fountainbridge Canal Trust to run a textile workshop on their barge along the Union Canal. Participants designed and created their own tote bags using fabric applique techniques, embroidery, stencils and spray paint.
Ceramics along the Canal – Glazing
For the second session of our collaboration with Fountainbridge Canal Trust and the Royal Edinburgh Hospital, Mahboob and Amy taught workshop participants how to use glazes and oxides to decorate the fired pieces that had been created in the first session. Everyone had a great time working on their ceramic designs and are excited to…
Ceramics along the Canal
In November one of our members had a chance to collaborate with the Fountainbridge Canal Trust to share his knowledge of ceramics and clay work with patients from the Royal Edinburgh Hospital. In the first session, Mahboob showed the group how to create pattern through impressions of various found materials while sailing along the canal….
Open Day at Suntrap
In August we had the opportunity to invite local community organisations Mwamba, Care4Carers and Fountainbridge Canal Trust to come to our studio space at Suntrap for a day of connection and collaboration. We shared our skills and interests through workshop activities in monoprinting, ceramics and woodcarving, displayed recent work and shared a delicious lunch provided…
Constructing a Table
Alex has been working with artist James McLardy to design and build a table as a centrepiece for our upcoming Open Day at Suntrap.
Ceramics and Mould Making
Mahboob has been working closely with artist James Rigler to learn the processes of mould making to develop his own unique vision and practice. Inspired by his interest in botany, nature and found objects, Mahboob explores the possibilities that clay can offer.
Developing Work at Suntrap
We have been lucky to be able to use the beautiful studio and garden space at Suntrap to establish a collective studio practice and develop our work through individual projects in print, ceramics, textile art and woodworking.
Visit to Central Scotland Sawmill
We spent the morning visiting Central Scotland Sawmill to source timber for a new project Alex is developing.