Clay and straw workshop in the UK

I like to participate as much as possible in hands-on workshops because they are excellent opportunities to learn.

When you touch the materials, you build those muscle memories; your fingertip will remember how much the material bounced back when you stuffed the shuttering, how hard it was to break the dry samples, and you will remember the smells, the colours. You share your knowledge and learn how to collaborate with others. 
You learn to respect the resources you will design with, the builder and the manufacturers.
Besides that, you have the chance to meet amazing people and build new friendships.

On the 6th of May, I was lucky enough to participate in the Clay and Straw workshop organised by Material Cultures and led by the fabulous Becky Little and Rowland Keable from EBUKI.

We experimented with different soils from around the UK, how much water they can absorb, how the water changes their plasticity, and how much the shrinkage will be after drying. We made light earth blocks with hemp and straw and learned about the different ratios. We also had a sneak peek at mass production and got a preview of clay plastering.

It was unique in many ways; the time was flying because the group was just brilliant. We had inspiring conversations and brilliant results. Thank you for this opportunity, and I cannot wait to see you next time. Big thank you to HG Matthews Brickworks for providing the space and the materials.