Workshop

ALL SOULS DAY | DAY OF THE DEAD SPECIAL

2nd November 17

5-8pm

Hive

Curators

First Food Residency

Artists

In celebration of the Mexican Dias De Los Muertos (Days of the dead) festival, Greer will be facilitating an Ofrenda making workshops as part of ‘The resilience series’ and Cactus and Creatures workshop programme.

As an amalgamation of Catholicism and ancient Mexican indigenous spiritual practices, Dias De Los Muertos is a great platform for inviting a variety of religions, ages, and ethnicities to share a celebration and contemplation of one of the most commonly binding human processes – the experience of life and death.

‘OFRENDA’ – ‘Offering’ MAKING WORKSHOPS

In Mexico, during Dias De los Muertos (Days of The Dead), you will find ‘Ofrendas’ (offerings) in every nook of a home, on street corners, by a headstone or even on your local fruit and veg stall. In the UK, cemeteries are often grey and lifeless spaces, which are less inviting to a community.

Traditional ofrendas (offerings), also known as alters or shrines, honour loved ones who have passed and are laced with ornate, carefully considered decorative elements – favourite foods and drinks, objects of nostalgia, candles and copal incense. They are sensory masterpieces that draw a centre point for families and communities to take time to reflect, mourn, and celebrate the lives of their loved ones. Artist Greer Pester will provide the tools and materials for constructing your very own ofrendas – all you need to bring are personal elements and precious nostalgia. She will talk you through the symbolic elements that complete an ofrenda and her own personal experiences of Mexican Day of the Dead culture in contrast to the British cultural approach to death.