Family-Friendly Event: Make A Sensory Dumpling

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:

• Decorate the ‘dumpling’ fabric: unleash your creativity using vibrant colours and textures, employing fun, easy-to-use tools like bingo dabbers, which are perfect for little fingers.

• Explore textures: discover the tactile properties of different dried grains as we explore their unique textures. From bumpy dried chickpeas, the smooth, porcelain feel of white beans, to the cool sensation of rice, there's a sensory adventure at every touch.

• Add aromatics: enhance the sensory experience by adding dried lavender, chamomile, or other fragrant ingredients of your choice to your dumpling. ‘Let your senses guide you as you create a personalised sensory masterpiece.’ (Marsh, 2024)

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.

About Sarah Marsh

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’ worth of experience in 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. Marsh’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. Marsh 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 evolves through observation and interaction.

Images courtesy of the artist.

About esea contemporary

esea contemporary is the UK’s only non-profit art centre specialising in presenting and platforming artists and art practices that identify with and are informed by East and Southeast Asian (ESEA) cultural backgrounds.

esea contemporary is situated in an award-winning building in the heart of Manchester, home to one of the largest East Asian populations in the UK. Since its inauguration as a community-oriented visual arts festival in 1986, esea contemporary has continuously evolved to establish itself as a dynamic and engaging space for cross-cultural exchanges in the British art scene, as well as in a global context.

Learn more at: www.eseacontemporary.org

Photo credit: Joe Smith

Host or Publisher esea contemporary