Colourscapes Workshop
Saturday, 13 September 2025, 14:00 - 18:00, Brussels, Belgium
PLEK & Botanical Garden Brussels
160 Rue de Laeken, 1000 Brussels, Belgium
Explore colour through walking and creative reflection of collage. Use the power of walking and art for better health and well-being.
This workshop combines the restorative power of walking with observation and creative exploration.
The workshop is part of the Exhibition Collective Roots: Innerscapes of Healing, curated by Ineke Vera De Soete, and is on view at PLEK Brussels until September 21, 2025.
About the Workshop
After a brief introduction to colour and the ways of mapping one’s
surroundings, we will head towards the Botanical Garden of Brussels,
which is only a short walk away from the workshop venue.
Like Baudelaire’s flâneur, we will observe the atmosphere of the city
around us, the nature within the built environment, recording and
noting colours, shapes, textures, patterns, and sounds.
Back at the venue, after a short introduction to colour matching and colour choices, we will use the collected materials, notes and records to create individual colour palettes with the help of coloured paper. We will talk about observed colours and colours of memory.
In the last part of the workshop, we will delve into colour composition and explore colour as a catalyst, expressing emotions and feelings through the interplay of colour, shape, and texture, creating an abstract collage.
We will close the workshop with a discussion about impressions and reflections gained, and explore the work of those who wish to show it (not compulsory).
Who is this workshop for?
This workshop is for anyone who wishes to explore their surroundings in a new way and express their reflections and emotions in a creative way, combining the healing power of walking with abstract collage. No art experience necessary.
“You don’t need to be creative to do something creative.”
Materials
All materials and tools are provided, including coloured papers, pencils, markers, papers for final colour compositions, tools for colour mapping and notation, glue, scissors, paper cutters, cutting boards and rulers.
Participants are free to bring their own tools and materials, if they wish. A small sketchbook can be useful, but not necessary; paper will be provided.
On Walking and Creative Expression
Walking, a fundamental human movement, is uniquely accessible and profoundly impactful for health and well-being.
Extensive research shows its benefits across physical, mental, and cognitive domains. Regular walking significantly improves cardiovascular and metabolic health, aids in weight management, musculoskeletal strength, and contributes to increased longevity.
Immersion in nature, even in an urban environment, helps to reduce stress, strengthen the immune system, and improve sleep quality.
Creative expression helps regulate stress, strengthen neural connections, and activate brain systems involved in movement, emotion, memory, and learning.
Involvement in the arts can protect against such problems as anxiety and depression, heart disease, and cognitive decline.
"Art in all its forms - whether creating or simply experiencing it - can have a huge impact on our health." -Arts + Mind Lab, Center for Applied Neuroaesthetics
* This workshop has finished.
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