The Work of Mending

The Work of Mending is a series of research-led, hands-on workshops exploring what hands do and what they mean across histories of making, repairing and caring. Drawing on historic objects, material practices and guided activities, the series invites participants to reflect on how touch, skill and handwork shape identity and wellbeing, from the Victorian era to the present day. The workshops are hosted in partnership with The Quilters’ Guild of the British Isles, York, and The Hunterian Museum at The Royal College of Surgeons of England, London.

  • 27 March 2026 (York): Skilled Hands examines virtuosity, mastery and pride in work.

  • 17 April 2026 (London): Pride explores mastery, confidence and what counts as ‘a job well done’.

  • 15 May 2026 (York): Mending considers repair as an act of care, creativity and meaning-making.

  • 26 June 2026 (London): Invisible Touch investigates tactile knowledge, care and sensitivity when vision is limited or absent. 

  • 16 October 2026 (York): The Sense of Touch explores flow, rhythm and the relationship between mind, body and technology.

  • 20 November 2026 (London): Ageing considers how dexterity, strength and identity change over time, and how we adapt to shifting capacities for touch.

Across the workshops, participants will encounter examples of skilled handwork from collections at The Quilters’ Guild and The Hunterian Museum, alongside discussion of parallel practices in different but related forms of haptic skill. Through close looking, handling and making, the series foregrounds the hand as both a tool of work and a site of emotion, memory and selfhood. At each workshop, participants will work with textile artist Ruth Singer to create pieces to inform a textile sculpture to be displayed at the 2027 Festival of Quilts.

Together these workshops ask how our hands shape who we are and how tactile skills continue to matter in an increasingly digital world. If you are interested in hands and handwork and would like to get involved, visit our Eventbrite for further information and tickets.