Surface & Stories

Layered face collage reflecting visible identity and lived experience

Designed to mark International Women’s Day, this workshop offers a reflective and creative way to acknowledge the complexity of women’s lives beyond labels or roles. It is well suited to women’s groups, community programmes, workplace wellbeing initiatives, cultural events and learning environments that wish to recognise the day in a considered and meaningful way. The format works well in studios, retreat venues, libraries and community spaces, and can be offered as a single session or across two sessions depending on context and time.

I honour what I show and the stories I quietly hold.

Between Surface and Depth

At the heart of the workshop is the idea that empowerment can begin with being seen more fully, by oneself and by others. The session opens with a short guided meditation that gently invites reflection on outward appearance and inner experience. Participants are then given space for journalling, allowing personal thoughts, memories, or observations to surface quietly. This approach supports reflection without pressure and optional sharing can help situate individual experiences within a wider, collective context often present on Women’s Day.

Paper, Shape and Image

Participants work with simple, accessible materials including paper templates, carbon paper, pens, and a broad range of magazine imagery. A neutral face is traced onto a large sheet using selected face, eye, and mouth shapes, creating a shared visual language while allowing for individual choice. From there, images are selected, cut, and arranged to form a layered collage above the head. The process is clearly guided and approachable, requiring no previous experience, and encourages participants to follow their own instincts while reflecting on personal stories and influences.

What Remains

Each participant leaves with a finished face collage that holds a personal collection of images and associations. While the face remains outwardly neutral, the layered space above it reflects depth, history, and lived experience. As a Women’s Day activity, the piece acts as a quiet statement of presence and complexity, offering something tangible that acknowledges personal empowerment beyond surface-level narratives.