Craft your own Fiend of the Fens, Witch-Wisp of Wandlebury Country Park, Giant-Genie of Jesus Green, and more…!

Join us for a morning of fun, folklore, and creative magic-making! Artists Wayward and Kirsty Badenoch invite you to make-real your wildest fantasies as we create puppets inspired by monsters, myths, memories and visions of our favourite green spaces around Cambridge. What secrets might our local landscapes have to share with us, what beasts might haunt them, and what environmental superpowers might we need for our future city?

We will start by getting mad and messy - cutting, sticking, painting, and sewing together our magical puppets. Once we’ve crafted our characters, we will transform the exhibition space into a giant stage set for our puppets and let them loose, as we explore storytelling and myth-making. After the workshop, the puppets will be displayed in the exhibition for everyone to enjoy.

The workshop is suitable for ages 5 to 105 years old. Whether you are a tiny tot who loves getting sticky, a university student advocating for environmental issues, a long-time local, or a work-from-homer who hasn’t picked up a paintbrush in years – this workshop is for you! No former writing or art experience needed. All materials will be provided, and you can pick your puppet up and take it home after the exhibition has ended.

You can book a place for the workshop via here. Please Note: Due to capacity restrictions, this is a free ticketed event. If you no longer need your ticket, please cancel your booking so that we can offer your space to someone on the waitlist. We ask that you book one ticket each for all adults and children attending. All children must be accompanied by a parent/guardian.

If you have any questions about this event or if you have any access requirements, please do let us know at thecambridgeroom@gmail.com. We will do our best to support your visit.

The workshop is part of “Search for the Hedge Witch”, a two-year arts-and-ecology project working with young people across Cambridge to co-create a new environmental myth. There are lots more opportunities to get involved with the project as it grows, including a harvest celebration and ecology walk in Cherry Hinton this September, and hedgerow planting and maintenance workshops throughout autumn and winter this year. For more information or to be kept in the loop with upcoming events, contact tom@wayward.co.uk and kirstybadenoch.com. The project is made possible through Bellway Homes, in connection with Springstead Village Public Art Programme.

Filming and photography

The event may be filmed or photographed. As an attendee, you consent to images captured during this event of you and any children you accompany being used for promotional purposes, unless you explicitly advise us otherwise. If you do not wish for you or your child to be photographed, please let us know in advance at thecambridgeroom@gmail.com or when you arrive.

Kirsty Badenoch is an artist-researcher and educator. Her work explores and re-connects fragile and disturbed landscapes, communities, and ecologies. She teaches at The Bartlett School of Architecture UCL and University of Cambridge, and curates Microscope, an ecological-arts space in East London.

Wayward is a London-based landscape, art and architecture practice – an award-winning collective of designers, artists and urban growers. As Associate Director, Tom Kendall has worked with people and plants for over a decade, and teaches at The Bartlett School of Architecture UCL.