Wood, Paint & Living Forms — Equilibrium in Practice

A Craft Happening by ESPRONCEDA within the European project Craftwork 4.0 ALL

Are you an artist or craft practitioner interested in working with living materials, exploring balance in transformation, and shaping form through gesture and intuition?

Wood, Paint & Living Forms is a one-day Craft Happening organized by ESPRONCEDA – Institute of Art & Culture, as part of the European project Craftwork 4.0 ALL. This collective session invites participants into a temporary lab where wood, pigment, fibre, clay, plant matter, and found fragments become tools for sculptural experimentation and shared creation.

Workshop description

Bringing together 20 artists and craft practitioners, Equilibrium in Practice expands the conceptual and material themes of HOMEOSTASIS into a hands-on, shared creative environment. Participants will co-create a collective sculptural installation inside the gallery, engaging with both natural and recycled materials.

Working with wood, fibre, plant matter, pigment, clay, found fragments, and reclaimed structural elements, attendees will echo the hybrid materiality found in Mark Redden’s sculptural work. Digital components may also be incorporated, drawing on ESPRONCEDA’s experience with experimental labs and interdisciplinary formats.

The collective piece will evolve continuously throughout the session. Participants will assemble, dismantle, and reconfigure sculptural elements in response to one another—enacting homeostasis as a living, adaptive process where stability and change coexist. The resulting environment becomes a temporary structure shaped by negotiation, intuition, and the shared creative metabolism of the group.

What to expect

• A collaborative and inspiring environment for exploration and making.
• Hands-on experimentation with natural and recycled materials.
• A sculptural methodology rooted in balance, adaptation, and shared transformation
• The opportunity to contribute to a collective artwork connected to the research of the Craftwork 4.0 ALL
• The resulting installation / co-creation piece will be presented during the Craft Festival organized by ESPRONCEDA in November 2026, and may also be documented or activated in additional activities of the international programme.

 Who is this workshop for?

This workshop is ideal for:

• visual artists
• sculptors and installation practitioners
• craftworkers and makers
• designers and architects
• students of art, design, and craft
• researchers interested in ecological thinking, material culture, and collaborative processes

No prior experience is required; participants should come with curiosity, openness, and a willingness to experiment with materials.

Event details

Date: Tuesday, 20 January 2026

Schedule: 10:00–15:00

Venue: ESPRONCEDA – Institute of Art & Culture

Address: C/ Espronceda 326, Nave 4–5, 08027 Barcelona

Capacity: 20 participants

Materials: All materials provided; participants may bring personal materials or fragments if desired
Fee: Free of charge (limited capacity; priority for artists and craft practitioners)

How to participate

Register via email: info@espronceda.net

About the Mentor – Mark Redden

Born in Dublin in 1979 and based in Barcelona, Mark Redden is an Irish visual artist working across painting, sculpture, and drawing. Using wood, oil paint, canvas, paper, pigment, and ink, he creates abstract works shaped by perception, balance, and intuitive interpretation.
His practice is deeply informed by material intelligence and traditional craft techniques—including influences from Irish currach boat-building—resulting in symbolic, mutable forms that oscillate between memory, emotion, and sensory reflection.

About Craftwork 4.0 ALL

Craftwork 4.0 ALL is a European project co-funded by Creative Europe that explores the meeting point between traditional craftsmanship and contemporary digital methodologies. Through international labs, happenings, and collaborative encounters, the project connects artists, craftspeople, designers, and technologists to develop new hybrid forms of making and cultural transmission.

More info

www.espronceda.net / www.craftwork4all.com

Questions? info@espronceda.net