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Join us for a sensory workshop led by practitioner Sarah Marsh, the artist behind the acclaimed The Sensory Toolkit. Using soft T-shirt fabric, participants will craft their ‘dumplings’, decorating the fabric before filling it with a blend of natural dried grains and aromatic herbs. This is a free event created for the new Hong Kong BN(O) communities residing in Manchester. The workshop is suitable for children aged 4-10 and their families/carers. We encourage families to participate together.
Participants will:
Participants will take their finished sensory dumplings home. Place your dumpling at your bedside to enjoy the calming scent of lavender at night, or keep within reach for moments when you need a comforting squeeze. The beauty of this activity lies in its simplicity, making it easily replicable at home for continued sensory exploration and relaxation.
Although this workshop is free, registration is essential to avoid disappointment. Please book places for all family or group members who will be attending.
Please consider making a donation for free events. esea contemporary is a registered charity, and your support will help us with our mission to create a more equal, diverse, and inclusive environment, enabling families from all economic backgrounds to participate in quality art-based activities.
The Sensory Toolkit by Sarah Marsh is a developing collection of objects, ideas, and environments thoughtfully designed and curated to invite touch and interaction, providing a sensory-soothing experience. The sensory focus in this workshop is through the feel, smell, and sound of materials used; discover what types of aromatics you enjoy, explore the sounds of grains being poured, and notice how the dumpling feels as you hold it.
This free workshop offers opportunities for all ages, creating a fun and inclusive experience for Hong Kong BN(O) families.
Please note that during this workshop, children must be supervised at all times, with parents/carers responsible for ensuring the safe use of any equipment, including scissors or cutting implements.
Sarah Marsh is a Manchester-based creative practitioner, artist, designer and consultant for play, with a passion for textiles, sculpture and hand-made processes. She has many years experience of creating award-winning, sensory-inspired and child-led environments for play and learning, in a variety of internationally renowned cultural settings across the UK and Europe. Sarah’s most recent commissions include; ’Sculpting Conversations’ at Whitechapel Gallery, London (Summer 2023) and ’North Light’ (Art in Manufacturing), The National Festival of Making, Blackburn (July 2023), as part of her HoLD collective. She is currently working on commissions with Tate Britain, Dulwich Picture Gallery, The Whitworth and York Art Gallery. Sarah is an artist whose practice is sensory-led; often working with neurodivergent communities and SEND audiences to create tactile and multi-sensory environments and objects, where design has evolved through observation and interaction. Sarah makes, to understand.
After leaving University of Salford, Sarah worked with the Chinese Arts Centre (2003) in various capacities, including technician, administrator, and freelance project coordinator. Sarah went on to travel extensively through China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, South Korea and Japan — an experience that has greatly impacted her creative practice. Her time in Shanghai, informed the look and feel of The Sensory Toolkit; dumpling-esque therapeutic holding objects; her use and passion of fabrics; and the shapes and forms found in architecture and nature all around her.
