Zine-Making: A Whimsical Adventure Begins with Stones and Leaves
Drop-in workshop
UUendy Lau (UU)
Artist & Designer
Set within a playful and whimsical scenario inspired by nature, the workshop promotes visual poetry in the form of zine through a creative process and exploration of the environment. It offers participants an alternative lens to inquire into the natural world and reconsider the value of often overlooked resources. Participants will manipulate a quirky selection of natural objects (e.g. stones, leaves) found in Birmingham and be guided to create a unique, personalised zine, imbuing them with distinct personalities that reflect our humanity as we interact with the natural landscape.
Through an engaging process of conversation, imagination, material experimentation and story-making, the zine-making workshop encourages participants develop personal storylines, curious graphic and poetic visual narratives using hands-on crafts, drawings, stencils and short dialogues, weaving speculation into reality. The art activity aims to stimulate informal discussion about pro-environmental consciousness and our place in the local landscape.
Hosts
UUendy Lau (UU)
Artist & Designer
UUendy Lau, who often goes by her artist name “UU,” is an illustrator and mixed-media artist with a fervent passion for experimental art and speculative design. A central theme in her work is ‘nature,’ which she believes is a universal and inclusive subject that permeates all groups, cultures, languages and lifestyles. Through speculative narratives, her art explores the connections among people, culture and urban development in relation to the natural landscape. Her goal is to empower communities through creative experiments and art-making. Her creations also advocate for mental well-being and encourage the embrace of inner thoughts and emotions, fostering alternative interpretations of our environment.
Her residencies include the Northern Rivers Community Gallery (Australia), PARADISE AIR (Japan), Guandu International Nature Art Festival (Taiwan), and Brussels Design September (Belgium). Currently, she is working on projects across Birmingham, London and Hong Kong.
