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Bow Families: making playful portraits with Sadegh Aleahmad
Sunday 28th April 2024 , 11:00am to 1:00pm
Join artist Sadegh Aleahmad as we build out our own abstract alter egos, playfully exploring different methods of portraiture and artmaking. Open to children and families of all ages – all materials provided!
Portraits don’t have to be picture perfect representations of what we or our loves ones look like – we can manipulate and use them as starting points to dream up alternate characters and alter-egos and build out the landscapes that they live in.
Sadegh will kick things off encouraging children to draw experimental portraits, tracing the shape of their adults faces and outlining the features that stand out to them. We will bring these portraits into the 3D realm by re-modelling them using pipe cleaners, creating small, abstract sculptures which tease apart the idea of a ‘perfect portrait’. We’ll then get into some rudimentary, DIY shadow puppet play to bring our 3D portraits to life, playing with light and shadows and performing our stories and imagined narratives to the rest of the room.
In this workshop, children will learn how to draw abstract portraits, build small sculptures, play with light and shadows, and further develop their problem-solving skills.
This event is an inclusive, friendly environment which is accessible to all abilities and age groups.
Bow Families is a series of free, drop-in family art workshops that take place on the last Sunday of every month in the Bow Arts Courtyard. These sessions are a wonderful opportunity for local families to get creative and try something new! Each session is led by a Bow Arts’ Artist and all materials are provided.
This workshop will take place in our courtyard room or outdoor courtyard (if the weather is on our side!) at Bow Arts Trust, 183 Bow Road, London, E3 2SJ.
More about Sadegh Aleahmad
Dr Sadegh Aleahmad is a London based Iranian-born artist. He examines the dynamics of his diasporic identity through performance, sculpture, poetry, singing, and moving image.
His work de-territorialises various Islamic disciplines, detaching them from their personal, religious and socio-political connotations, and fuses them with the aesthetics and ethics of Western contemporary artmaking. His practice focuses on site-specific solo work and socially-engaged projects.
Sadegh’s current research explores the materiality and applications of, light, mirrors and visual displacement of public environments in the narrative of one’s construction of diasporic identity.
Sadegh is currently running projects with with University of Arts London, Kingston School of Art, Bow Arts, Drawing Room Gallery, Dulwich Picture Gallery, and The National Gallery.
Access information
The Bow Arts Trust courtyard room has step-free access throughout from street level, including to the accessible toilet, and is service animal friendly. This venue does not have a hearing loop system. Accessible parking is not available on-site but blue badge parking can be found 500m away on Fairfield Road.
If you have any questions regarding accessibility at this venue or event, would like to make us aware of any access requirements that you have in advance of visiting, or would like this information in an alternate format including Easy Read, please email nunnery@bowarts.com or call 020 8980 7774 (Ext. 3)
Access requirements could include things like providing equipment, services or support (e.g. information in Easy Read, speech to text software, additional 1:1 support), adjusting workshop timings (e.g. more break times), adjustments to the event space (e.g. making sure you have a table near the entrance) or anything else you can think of!
Transport Information
Opening hours: Mon-Friday, 9am to 5pm
Address: Bow Arts Trust, 183 Bow Road, London, E3 2SJ
Nearest station(s): Bow Road (District and Hammersmith and City lines) is a 6-minute walk away, and Bow Church (DLR) is a 3-minute walk away.
Bus: 205, 25, 425, A8, D8, 108, 276, 488 and 8 all service the surrounding area.
Bike: Bicycle parking is located at Bow Church Station. The nearest Santander Cycles docking station is at Bow Church Station.
