Gathered Colour

Gathered Colour is a community-focused creative project exploring the connections between plants, colour, creativity and community across Leeds.

I developed the project to bring people together through creative activities exploring natural dyes, plant-based printing inks, screen printing and textile techniques. At the heart of the project is a simple question: what does community mean to us?

The project began with growing dye plants from seed, creating a connection between growing, harvesting and making colour. I have run planting sessions with MAFWA Theatre, Pyramid of Arts and Stitch-Up CIC in community garden spaces, bringing people together to explore plants that can provide natural colour while sharing knowledge, stories and experiences.

Alongside the planting sessions, I have delivered practical natural dyeing and printing workshops which have given participants the opportunity to experiment with plant-based colour and sustainable creative processes, while thinking about what community means to them.

Each group has been invited to create work inspired by their own experiences, places, relationships and ideas of community, using natural dye, plant-based inks, and screen printing. These individual contributions are now being brought together to create a large collaborative textile artwork.

The finished piece will bring together a collection of colours, patterns, marks and ideas that reflect the diversity and creativity of Leeds.

An exhibition of the work will take place in October 2026, providing an opportunity to share the outcomes of the project and celebrate everyone who has contributed – more info to follow soon!

For me, Gathered Colour is much more than making with natural materials. It is about slowing down, sharing skills, connecting with others and exploring how creativity can help us think differently about the way we live, make and care for our communities and environment.