As everyone is spending more time at home at the moment in this series of In:Site Inspires blog posts we’re looking back at previous festivals and artists to see how they could inspire some at-home making activities and creative ideas. There is guidance on where to find or make your own materials as well as tips to get you started!

Rachel Lemon was part of In:Site in 2015, during her time at the festival she rolled out slabs of clay onto parts of the Cathedral Square to create a series of imprinted clay pieces. She then put those pieces together to make an urn creating a memorial to the historical figures buried in the square.

Rachel also encouraged the public to mould their own pinch pots that would become memory vessels, in tribute to the unknown people buried in the Cathedral Square. Pinch pots are easy to create at home – you could make a series of them in different sizes and even include some patterns on them to make each one unique.

Sarah Christie took part in In:Site 2016 and 2017. In 2016 Sarah created ceramic tiles with imprints of items associated to the variety of occupations associated with Birmingham’s history and heritage. Learn about Sarah’s day at In:Site on this blog post.

There are lots of interesting patterns and prints to be discovered around your home, maybe take a look at the pavement outside your house, tiles in your kitchen or objects you can find around the house.

First of all you need clay! If you don’t have any clay at home there are ways you can make your own. Take a look at the instructions on these blogs to guide you:

The Spruce Crafts blog

Nuture Store blog

Ceramic artist Alice Thatcher shared a how-to guide on her Instagram about making salt-dough and using objects from your kitchen to create beautiful textures. See Alice’s post here.

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