Papel Picado Crafting Workshop

Join this workshop led by designer Tiz Creel and create intricate papel picado banners, a traditional Mexican decoration. Book your place via this link: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1053382177449 - Workshops start at 10am and 12pm.

Papel Picado Crafting

Drop-In workshops to create intricate papel picado (tissue paper with cut-out shapes) banners, a traditional decoration for Día de los Muertos celebrations. 

Those colourful, festive cut paper banners you see on Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) altars and at Mexican celebrations are papel picado. Traditionally, these pieces of Mexican folk art were chiseled by hand from stacks of tissue paper using designs that varied based on the occasion.

Overview:

In this pop-up lab, participants will create their own Papel Picado, exploring traditional Mexican designs and learning about the cultural significance of this craft. We will explore the history, cultural significance, and techniques of Papel Picado, allowing participants to create their own decorative pieces.

Objectives:

1. Understand the cultural significance and origin of Papel Picado in Mexican traditions.
2. Learn basic and advanced techniques for creating Papel Picado designs.

• This workshop is suitable for children 6+ years. Adult assistance may be required for younger learners.
• Materials, guidance and instructions included in the ticket price.
• All workshop participants require a ticket.
• There are only 10 places per workshop.

This workshop is part of a series of half term activities designed by Tiz Creel, Founder and Director of Living Things Studio.

Tiz holds an undergraduate degree in Communications from Universidad Iberoamericana 2015 (Mexico City). In 2019, she completed an MFA in Fine Art at Goldsmiths University (London) as well as a residency at the School of Visual Arts in 2016 (New York). Tiz has collaborated with different institutions in the UK, exploring play as a method of participation and engagement. Recently, she collaborated with the Royal Kew Gardens to create a playful resource for experiencing nature from different perspectives. Likewise, the collaboration with Bedford Creative Arts will make a digital interactive experience by collaborating with schools to map out the blue spaces in Central Bedfordshire. She collaborated with Turner Contemporary to run the project Hand Crafted Digital Worlds, where museum visitors could create anything they liked to add to a digital world. All creation was scanned, processed, and placed in a virtual environment that anyone could explore.

She has exhibited in the UK at Home in Manchester (Future Fantastic Showcase, 2023). Now play this! (Hand Crafted Digital Worlds, 2021), London Mural Festival (2020), Division of Labour (Soft Display, 2020); Pitt Studio (Heavy Duty Paper, 2020); Residency Gallery (The Correspondence, 2020); Deptford X: Stop Making Sense (Designed to fall, 2019). International exhibitions include La la Land (Amsterdam, Netherlands, BeFantastic (Bangalore, India, 2023), and Next Level Festival! (Essen, 2021), Parsec (Bolognia, 2024, 2020), Museo Tamayo (Mexico City, 2019), Museo Nacional de Arte (Mexico City, 2019) and Museo Regional de Cholula (Puebla, 2016).

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With thanks to the Circles of Art for their support of the events programme.