Creative writing, cosplay and make up, knitting and yarncraft, food, drink, podcasting and kid-friendly crafting workshops all form part of the crafting and creating group. The defining feature is celebration of creativity. From distilling to diary-keeping, we won't just be running practical workshops but also talking about communities, people and contexts that make all these things happen. Here's what we've got coming up for you this August:
Thursday
- Uh oh!: Last Minute Cosplay Fix and Rescue
Beaujolais 7pm-9:30pm
Ash Le Galloudec, Maz, Elly Frances, Ria Farrell
Extra pairs of hands for when your cosplay misbehaves. Experienced sewing folks and cosplayers on hand to fix up, so you can carry on looking sharp!
Friday
- Beginners Guide to Cosplay
Alsace 11:45am-12:45pm
Karen Graham, Maz, Ash Le Galloudec
Interested in taking up Cosplay? Cosplayed a few times but not sure where to go from here? Not sure how to approach a particular costume? Let our friendly panel of cosplayers guide you along with some ideas and insight into choosing a character, making your own costumes and accessories and where to source them from. - Tunisian Crochet
Beaujolais 1:30pm-2:30pm
Laura Beard
Learn the basics of Tunisian crochet, a cross between crochet and knitting. Create a 1 or 2 coloured coaster. Suitable for advanced beginners. Help and materials provided. - Metal Jewellery Crafting Workshop (ticketed)
Bourgogne 1:30pm-4:00pm
Helen Foster-Turner
Helen Foster-Turner will be teaching attendees how to turn bronze or copper clay into very lovely jewellery. Choose from a range of designs or even create your very own Ymir! - Make Friends and get Stuff Done: How to Build an Inclusive Community
Alsace 5:00pm-6:00pm
Rowan Ellis
Talk / workshop about empowering people to start and cultivate their own inclusive communities and create change. Based on the Five Cs of Community Building, this talk will guide people through so they end up with a plan of how to create their own (or better help an existing) community, such as book clubs, art groups, mentorship programmes, online communities etc. - Stitch and Chatter: Bring along your latest project and meet other geeks who knit, sew or crochet
Beaujolais 5:00pm-6:00pm
Ria Farrell
Bring along your latest project and meet other geeks who knit, crochet and sew - Colouring for Geeks
Pouilly 5:00pm-6:00pm
Sophie Hambleton, Ria Farrell
Come and colour with us! We’ve got geeky colouring books and supplies for a relaxed session with a geeky theme. - Writing Queer Characters
Mouton Cadet 6:45pm-7:45pm
Pip Janssen, Cherry Potts, Arkady Rose, Julia
Want to write believable LGBTQIA+ characters in your fiction stories? This session is aimed at both LGBTQIA+ authors and also straight and cis authors - everyone who want to write better constructed LGBTQIA+ characters. - The Mouth Behind the Mask: Masked Poetry Writing
Beaujolais 8:30pm-9:30pm
Angela Cleland
In this masked poetry workshop we will explore how we can use alter egos, human, animal or inanimate, to protect ourselves when we're writing, enabling us to convey difficult emotions or experiences or get at truths we might otherwise be uncomfortable admitting to or expressing. We will start by taking a look at a few poems that employ personae and then engage in a series of creative writing exercises with the aim of producing some draft alter ego poems of our own. Pens, paper and masks will be provided, but folks can bring their own if they wish!
Saturday
Mouton Cadet 9am-9:45am
Ash Le Galloudec
Extra pairs of hands for when your cosplay misbehaves. Experienced sewing folks and cosplayers on hand to fix up, so you can carry on looking sharp!
Mouton Cadet 11:45am-12:45pm
Tlanti
Cosplaying has historically been portrayed as a hobby for the least marginalised. We know that isn't accurate - plus sized cosplayers can rock a Leia bikini, disabled cosplayers can cosplay as any character - including non-disabled ones, and can choose whether to incorporate any mobility aids we have into the costume or not. Hijabi women can awesome and modest cosplays - hijabi Disney cosplayer Saraswati has been lighting up everywhere from Instagram to Buzzfeed. Black cosplayer Jay Justice graced the cover of A-Force while cosplaying She Hulk and dedicated the issue to everyone who was discouraged from cosplaying by bullies, with the message to other black cosplayers - "We can be heroes too." This roundtable is for you if you've ever had people question whether you could "pull off" a character of a different body type or perceived gender to you or a canonically white character if you aren't white yourself, if you've been asked if you can really cosplay Wonder Woman in a wheelchair, Thor with an assistance dog or Sansa Stark while pregnant. Come and discuss costuming mods and hacks, cosplaying in the binary when you live outside it, queering characters' presentations. This space is open to all, but please be mindful that white cis non-disabled and conventionally bodied people are not the focus for this discussion.
Beaujolais 1:30pm-2:30pm
Sophie Hambleton and Laura Beard
Craft eyepatches, skull-and-crossbones wristbands and other pirate-themed booty from yarn! Hilarious pirate accessories and materials provided.
Bordeaux 1:30pm-2:30pm
Elly Frances
Talk by Elly Frances about how designers have tackled designing the future over the past 50 years, how their decisions were informed by contemporary events and what they hoped to convey in their designs. Covering gendering in uniforms, cultural appropriation (exoticising existing non Western traditional dress rather than creating original design concepts) and how changes in ordinary fashion can affect our interpretation of a future that was designed in the past.
Beaujolais 5pm-6pm
Ria Farrell
Come and read out your own original poetry in a supportive and creative environment.
Cremant 5pm-6pm
Sophie Hambleton and Hannah Bunce
Sing along with your favourite tunes from the Whedonverse, featuring Dr Horrible’s SIngalong blog, The Buffy Musical episode and Firefly. Dancing demons optional.
Alsace 8:30pm-9:30pm
Ria Farrell
A tricky-but-fun quiz with a broad crafting theme and a goody bag of various craft supplies up for grabs for the winning team! Crafting knowledge beneficial, but not strictly required.
Sunday
Mouton Cadet 9am-9:45am
Ria Farrell
Bring along your latest project and meet other geeks who knit, crochet and sew
Alsace 10am-11am
Ben Crossley, Arkady Rose
Science themed craft activities for children aged 3-11.
Bouzy 11:45am-12:45pm
Karen Graham, Ash Le Galloudec, Heather, Jen, Lauren
Panel discussion about cosplay with tips and tricks for crafting your own cosplay that won’t cost the earth.
Reims 11:45am-12:45pm
Helen Kenwright, Pip Janssen, Cherry Potts, Ciaran
A short talk and panel discussion, interspersed with short creative writing exercises.
Pouilly 1:30pm-2:30pm
Ria Farrell and Sophie Hambleton
Fun, chilled session for people to put icing and various sugary things on biscuits to create some geeky designs themed around Pokemon, My Little Pony, Harry Potter and X-Men, or make your own design.
Bordeaux 3:15-4:15pm
Pip Janssen
Creative writing workshop on how to dream up a well thought out world in fantasy fiction.
Year:
2016
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