02/06/2026
Afterlives Festival: Create a Sea Creature with Judith Hope - Puppet Maker and Moving Parts Arts
Where: Redbridge Libraries (Essex)
Sat 6th June, 2pm-4pm
Sun 7th June, 11am-12pm
FREE! but booking required
Join artist Judith Hope in workshops to create a shoal of sea creatures (imaginary or realistic), to act as the guardians, escorting the whale on it's journey into the next life. Participants will design and make their own sea creature using simple metal embossing techniques, as can be seen on the main artwork. The sea creatures will then be added to the art work, becoming an integral part of the finished piece.
Everything contains a story, however big or small. Every object, item and belonging has passed through the hands and lives of others, tales of people, places, lost times and conversations, tightly and silently bound within. But what happens when a custodian dies and those stories are lost?
Silent Stories uses a collection of tiny, seemingly unimportant objects sourced from London's flea markets and rescued from local house clearances. It includes forgotten fragments of London lives, each containing their own lost story. Safely housed within miniature shrines, these precious objects are preserved and transported aboard a whale.
Representing spiritual guardians within some cultures, the whale embodies tranquillity, harmony and peace, a keeper of wisdom and history. Often disorientated by sonar pollution, whales have been known to swim up the River Thames, transient drifting visitors, often losing their own lives in doing so. Within the work, the whale signifies the journey into unchartered territories, navigating a passage towards the unfamiliar world of the afterlife.
Silent Stories explores what we leave behind. The meanings, importance and significance of possessions and memory. It focuses on the preservation and bringing together of tiny objects, the forming of new partnerships and new beginnings, and in turn, the birth of a new story.
No experience necessary. All materials and tools will be provided.
Who it's for: Ages 15+
Session length: 2 hours (or until participants finish their piece).
Spaces are limited and must be pre-booked. Free to attend.
