New to Blackhorse Workshop in August and September will be Self Build, a weekend workshop exploring community spaces and recycled materials. The workshop will be curated and taught by artist Lucy Harrison as part of her project Self Build, exploring self-built sheds, shacks, shelters and community spaces across Waltham Forest, in gardens, allotments and other locations. Lucy is documenting these structures and collecting stories of how they came to be made. Many of these structures utlilise found materials sourced from streets, skips, industrial estates or given by friends, and make accidentally creative juxtapositions. At a time when many new developments are being built in the area, these grassroots and community constructions show how people make their own spaces for socialising, hobbies or food growing.

The weekend workshop will give you the opportunity to create your own chair using materials you have collected – this could include wood, metal, plastic, signage or objects. Participants will be encouraged to source and bring their own found materials, to be discussed at the design workshop, and some basic materials will also be provided. They could be things with sentimental value you want to put to good use or visually interesting things you have found.

The chairs made by the group will then be used as furniture for a shared meal at the end of the workshop. All objects made will be photographed to be included in Lucy Harrison’s Self Build project which is funded by Arts Development.

The course will be divided over an evening design workshop to share ideas and a weekend of building the chairs.