Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 September, 10 - 5 p.m.: Workshop: Taster Workshop with Cockpit Arts

Cockpit Studios, Bloomsbury: Cockpit Yard, Northington Street London, WC1N 2NP

Join Joanne Lamb, Hannah Refaat and Kim Sutherland at Cockpit Arts for a two-day immersive workshop that offers a rare opportunity to explore three distinct creative practices in one inspiring setting.

Joanne Lamb is an Irish artist and maker whose practice centres on woven textiles and basketry-inspired sculptural forms. After a fifteen-year career in textile design, she turned towards hand-crafted work that celebrates materiality, tradition and the intimate knowledge held within craft. Drawing on natural fibres, handmade papers, wool, silk and plant-based materials, Joanne creates vessels that reflect her close relationship with the landscape and the changing seasons. Her work is rooted in a desire to preserve the beauty of the natural world, honouring traditional making techniques while exploring their place within contemporary sculpture.

Hannah Refaat brings a contemporary approach to hand embroidery grounded in sustainability and repair. Her work combines decorative stitching with thoughtful textile reuse, exploring how traditional skills can be reimagined through modern design. Alongside her own practice, she has led workshops during London Textile Month 2025, and for Manchester Metropolitan University and the London College of Fashion, where she works as a specialist embroidery technician. Her teaching reveals the enduring relevance of hand stitching as both a practical and expressive language.

Kim Sutherland is a metalworker and printmaker whose work brings together drawing and material processes to create richly inscribed wall-based pieces inspired by tradition and personal narrative. Moving between working in metal and on paper, her practice explores the relationship between mark, memory and material, often using the ancient technique of intaglio etching to carve delicate lines into surfaces. The traces left through carving, fabrication and touch become an essential part of each piece, giving her work a quiet sense of history and presence. She is passionate about teaching and the passing on of craft skill and specialist knowledge. 

Event Description

This immersive two-day workshop invites participants to explore how weaving, embroidery, embossing, and printed surface techniques can come together through thoughtful, hands-on making within the inspiring surroundings of Cockpit’s makers’ studios.

Across the weekend, participants will experiment with each artist’s individual processes and techniques. The workshop begins with embossing sessions led by Kim, creating textured samples that will then be incorporated into woven elements led by Joanne. On the second day, participants will add decorative hand-embroidery stitches led by Hannah, building layered, tactile works that combine all the techniques explored throughout the workshop.

By the end of the weekend, participants will leave with a collection of experimental samples and the opportunity to create a resolved textile artwork that can be displayed as a finished art piece.

Alongside the practical sessions, participants will also step inside each maker’s studio for a closer look at their materials, processes, and approaches to contemporary craft.

All materials are provided, including fabrics, yarns, paper, natural fibres, and dyes. This workshop offers a rare opportunity to experience how different creative disciplines can intersect, leaving participants with new skills, unique handmade pieces, and a deeper understanding of material-led making.

Please note: Lunch is not provided, but there are many cafés and supermarkets nearby.

Event Cancellation Policy
All bookings are non-refundable. However, if you let us know that you are unable to attend an event you have booked at least two weeks before the event, we will open up your place. If we find another participant, you will be offered a credit note.

 

Visit the Joanne Lamb's Website
Follow Joanne Lamb on Instagram

Visit the Hannah Refaat's Website
Follow Hannah Refaat on Instagram

Visit the Kim Sutherland's Website
Follow Kim Sutherland on Instagram