Workshops and Talks
Intergenerational stories of Place, Heritage & Connection
Within our community conversations, we are not only looking at interpersonal connections, but also connections to environment and systems. We want to speak to long term residents reflecting on changes in the area, what memories and stories they hold that tell the history of the area. We will ask how has local environment shaped family identity?
We will start with exchange and response, co-working Collaborative integration and workshops for community. In the final week we will bring the journey together with a final showing of process–based exhibition
Week 1
Wednesday 5th August: 6pm to 8pm (TBC)
Opening event: In Conversation with Esme & Crispin​​
Join Crispin and Esme, who will be in conversation, learning more about each other, their perspectives and thoughts on family, heritage and connection.
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​Reserve your seat HERE
Saturday 8th Aug - 11:30am to 1:15pm: The Personal Map Workshop
​The Personal Map - Collage & Painting workshop led by Esme
Create a visual map of the people, places, memories, and experiences that have shaped both your sense of self and your sense of community. Through collage and painting, we'll reflect on where we've come from, where we are now, and the connections that continue to guide us.
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Book HERE
Week 2
Wednesday 12th Aug - 3-4pm: Sing Out
Warm up and sing along. Get connected with an hour of fun, laughter and song. With Denise Broad of the The Great Gusto’s
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Book HERE
Thursday 13th Aug - 2:30-4:30pm: The Lost Hospital of Tooting
The Lost Hospital of Tooting Talk by The Tooting History Group
Karen Ellis Rees, Philip Bradley, Philip, Liz Sayce
Tooting Bec Hospital: Opened in 1903 as an overflow asylum, it housed up to 2,200 patients, primarily older people and those with dementia or chronic mental health conditions. It officially closed in 1995 and was subsequently demolished. Today, the site on Tooting Bec Road is a residential housing estate. A Green Plaque was unveiled in 2025 on the original Asylum wall, by the pedestrian entrance to the Heritage Park Estate at the corner of Tooting Bec Road and Franciscan Road.
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Reserve your seat HERE
Week 3
Wednesday 19th Aug - 6-8pm: Threads between us Workshop
Led by Esme, 'Threads Between Us' is a Mixed Media Art Workshop
We invite you to come along with a loved one, friend, family member, or a photograph of someone special. Together, we'll explore the visible and invisible threads that connect us, shaping both our inner and outer worlds. Using a range of mixed media materials, you'll create a layered artwork reflecting the relationships, shared experiences, and communities that support and sustain you
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Book HERE
Thursday 20th Aug - 12-1:30pm: Books Bombs and Art TALK
Books Bombs and Art – the Branson family in 1930s Battersea Talk led by Jeanne Rathbone - Battersea Society Heritage, Wandsworth Heritage Group and author of *Inspiring Women of *Battersea.
Local historian, Jeanne Rathbone, talks about Clive Branson - an English artist, poet and active communist in the 1930s - and his family who lived in Battersea. His wife Noreen became a historian of the Communist Party and his daughter Rosa, is a renowned British painter and fabric designer. He joined the International Brigade to fight fascism in Spain. Later in WW2 he was killed in Burma at the aged of 36. Before his death, her father had promised to teach Rosa to paint, which made her determined to become a trained artist.
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Reserve your seat HERE
Week 4
Wednesday 26th Aug - 6:30-8pm: Prisons
A panel talk with Crispin, Polly Green, Jay Morally, Nicole Manchester,
Against a backdrop of Crispin's paintings made while employed as an art tutor at HMP Wandsworth between 1988-1992
An assembled panel with experience of working in the judicial system will host a discussion about its pros and cons.
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Book HERE
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Thursday 27th Aug - 11:30am-1:30pm: Workshop: “Common Belonging”
Common Belonging - Fabric Printing & Creative Writing Workshop led by Esme
Contribute to a shared textile artwork while exploring what belonging means to you. Through fabric printing and creative writing, we'll celebrate our individual stories while discovering the values and experiences that connect us. Together, we'll reflect on how we are shaping our communities today and consider the legacy we hope to leave for those who will look back on this moment in the future.
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Book HERE
Saturday 29th Aug - 4-7pm: Community Party
A chance to reflect and review on the work and discussions over the residency, while enjoying good food and conversations