Creative Encounters

Join Creative Encounters for a social Wednesday evening of art, music, poetry and making as part of Southbank Centre's free events programme Open Doors.

Every two weeks in the Clore Ballroom at Royal Festival Hall, a different artist leads an evening of playful creativity.

Aiming to be a place where you can meet and socialise with new people while trying something different, there’s an emphasis on getting to know others through interacting with hands-on creative activities. All events are free and there's no need to book!

Wed 26 Mar | Stacy Makishi
Brought up in two indigenous cultures (Hawaiian and Ryukyuan), Stacy Makishi invites you to encounter rowdy rituals and soothing provocations to welcome spring.

Wed 2 Apr | Carve Out Your Space
Join illustrator and collage artist Beth Suzanna to create a large-scale collaborative paper collage that sprawls across The Clore Ballroom floor.

Wed 16 Apr |  Rhythmic Threads
Join textile artist Sue Man to discover fabric collage techniques and create your own unique pouch using discarded textiles.

Wed 30 Apr | The Tapestry of Imperfections
Made from recycled fabrics and fragments of poetry, The Tapestry of Imperfections repurposes discarded materials and transforms our hidden truths to honor the imperfect. Add your own voice by writing, drawing or weaving, and become part of this evolving tapestry – or simply relax and watch the installation grow and unfold around you.

Wed 21 May | The Londoners' Printing Press
Try your hand at typography and collaborative print-making, and learn the art of letterpress with artist Theo Hersey and a DIY printing press.

Wed 28 May | Found Sounds
Make noise, not waste! Start your evening with a performance from Yuko Tsubame, singing and playing the Sanshin – a traditional Japanese instrument from Okinawa. Let her sounds inspire you to create your own ‘Bin-struments’, musical instruments from recycled materials, with the Ura Matsuri collective.

Wed 11 Jun | The Beautiful Everyday
Visual artist, writer and researcher Nathaniel Télémaque guides an evening of communal archiving and collaging alongside live music and poetry to help spark your creativity. Bring along bits and bobs like old photographs, tickets, receipts, newspapers, flyers and any other everyday ephemera to help with your own archiving and tell your own story of everyday London life.

Wed 25 Jun | Midsummer Melodies
Come together to celebrate one of the most important holidays in the Swedish calendar with singing, dancing and general merry-making with the Norsang Choir.