Workshop: Walking Elsewhere. Body and City in Exile

This workshop series explores the relationship between bodies, public space and migration and is led by artist, urbanist, and researcher Dr Saba Zavarei. Participation is open to all Iranians living abroad who identify, in any way, with exile. The exercises draw on theatre and performance trainings, mind-mapping, counter-mapping, drift, and site-specific methods.

The workshop will take place on six Saturdays, the first three dates are: 

1 November 2025, 11am-1.30pm: 'Eyes of the Skin.'
How can attention to materials and haptic perception help us redefine our understanding of place and belonging?
Starting at Southbank, we will focus on the materials that surround us, exploring how body, memory, and materiality shape our experience of place. Through a range of exercises, we will challenge our perceptions of both familiarity and unfamiliarity.
Meeting point is outside Hayward Gallery in Southbank Centre at 11am (SE1 8XX). The walk will then lead to UCL's main campus in Bloomsbury.
REGISTER HERE.

8 November 2025, 11am-1.30pm: 'Travelling with Seeds'
What can plants and trees teach us about rooting, uprooting, and the fragile journeys of belonging across places?
In this workshop we begin in Calthorpe Community Garden, tracing how nature continues and transforms across places. Through performance exercises and storytelling, we explore our relationship with plants and trees, and reflect on the shifting meanings of rooting and uprooting.
Meeting point is outside Calthorpe Community Garden (WC1X 8LH). The walk will then lead to UCL's main campus in Bloomsbury.
REGISTER HERE.

22 November 2025, 11am-1.30pm: 'Invisible Cities'
How do the structures and patterns of the urban fabric invite us in—or hold us at a distance? How might we rediscover their meanings through our embodied memories?
In this workshop we walk from King’s Cross through Euston towards the UCL campus, paying close attention to the organisation of public space and the patterns of the urban fabric. Through a series of exercises, we explore how these spatial orders shape our sense of attachment or exclusion, and reflect on how our performances might reconfigure our relationship with the city.
Meeting point is outside the British Library (NW1 2DB). The walk will then lead to UCL's main campus in Bloomsbury.
REGISTER HERE.

6 December 2025, 11am-1.30pm: 'Playing Out of Place'
In what ways can play transform our encounter with unfamiliar or exclusive spaces, turning them into sites of memory, negotiation, or belonging?
In this workshop we begin in Granary Square by recalling and re-enacting childhood outdoor games. We experiment with location-based play to explore how games reshape our experience of public space, opening up new ways of relating to environments that might otherwise feel distant or closed off.
Meeting point is Granary Square. The walk will then lead to UCL's main campus in Bloomsbury.
REGISTER HERE.

Each workshop consists of roughly one hour of walking, followed by one hour of reflection and discussion at the IAS. Please dress comfortably and bring your sense of adventure, you never know when London rain might join the walk!

There is no requirement to attend every workshop, though participants are warmly encouraged to join more than one, as each walk and workshop explores different routes and themes.