Repair Week: Soft Toy Hospital, Conservation and Question Time

Soft Toy Hospital: 10-12:00pm (Morning Session)

Book your place at Soft Toy Hospital here

Become a teddy bear doctor learning basic sewing techniques that will help you save small fuzzy stuffed lives. Learn how to fix rips, reattach limbs and eyes, or customise a soft toy ‘road kill’ into a new and unique cuddly friend. Bring along a poorly pooh bear of your own or pick a patient from our workshop waiting room when you arrive. 

Jessica Corlett is a London-based Arts & Events Coordinator with a career spanning film and television production, children’s fashion, social care activities, and costume design. Her specialism is textile-based craft techniques, the more novel the better. She loves recycling and reusing materials and is currently part-time teaching a furniture restoration course for a London charity on a mission to save as much furniture as possible from landfill.

No experience or skill necessary, all welcome!

To take part in the session you will need:
-   a soft toy in need of repair 

Illegal and Heritage Conservation: 10-12:00pm (Morning Session)

Book your place at Illegal and Heritage Conservation here

The Theatre of Conservation (in association with the UCL Repair Café and the Centre for Critical Heritage Studies), present their latest performance of Illegal and Authorised Heritage Practice. You are invited to participate in the proper conservation of heritage ceramics, guided by an accredited expert heritage conservation professional. We will discipline you in the appropriate actions, materials and procedures required to do the proper conservation of ceramics. 

Alongside this, you will be exposed to the illegal activities of rogue conservation, the application of non-approved techniques to the repair of ceramics, perpetuated by a self-described illegal conservator.  This type of illicit activity is condemned by all right thinking heritage professionals for transgressing disciplinary boundaries that attack the self-justifying profession narratives of heritage conservation. 

Theatre of Conservation is run by UCL Institute of Archaeology MSc Conservation for Archaeology and Museums programme. Resident company; Hannah Cenusa, Merry Chow,  Hadas Misgav, Len Planck, Dean Sully, Carmen Vida.

Conservation Lab Chat Blog and Facebook.

No experience or skill necessary, all welcome!

To take part in the session you will need:
- a broken ceramic object or artefact in need of repair

Soft Toy Hospital: 14:00-16:00 (Afternoon Session)

Book your place at Soft Toy Hospital here

Become a teddy bear doctor learning basic sewing techniques that will help you save small fuzzy stuffed lives. Learn how to fix rips, reattach limbs and eyes, or customise a soft toy ‘road kill’ into a new and unique cuddly friend. Bring along a poorly pooh bear of your own or pick a patient from our workshop waiting room when you arrive. 

Jessica Corlett is a London-based Arts & Events Coordinator with a career spanning film and television production, children’s fashion, social care activities, and costume design. Her specialism is textile-based craft techniques, the more novel the better. She loves recycling and reusing materials and is currently part-time teaching a furniture restoration course for a London charity on a mission to save as much furniture as possible from landfill.

No experience or skill necessary, all welcome!

To take part in the session you will need:
-   a soft toy in need of repair 

Illegal and Heritage Conservation: 14:00-16:00 (Afternoon Session)

Book your place at Illegal and Heritage Conservation here

The Theatre of Conservation (in association with the UCL Repair Café and the Centre for Critical Heritage Studies), present their latest performance of Illegal and Authorised Heritage Practice. You are invited to participate in the proper conservation of heritage ceramics, guided by an accredited expert heritage conservation professional. We will discipline you in the appropriate actions, materials and procedures required to do the proper conservation of ceramics. 

Alongside this, you will be exposed to the illegal activities of rogue conservation, the application of non-approved techniques to the repair of ceramics, perpetuated by a self-described illegal conservator.  This type of illicit activity is condemned by all right thinking heritage professionals for transgressing disciplinary boundaries that attack the self-justifying profession narratives of heritage conservation. 

Theatre of Conservation is run by UCL Institute of Archaeology MSc Conservation for Archaeology and Museums programme. Resident company; Hannah Cenusa, Merry Chow,  Hadas Misgav, Len Planck, Dean Sully, Carmen Vida.

Conservation Lab Chat Blog and Facebook. 

No experience or skill necessary, all welcome!

To take part in the session you will need:
- a broken ceramic object or artefact in need of repair

Technician's Question Time: Live-Streamed Q&A: 14:30-15:30

Book your place at Technician's Question Time here

The Institute of Making's panel of techicians-slash-fixing-experts spends an hour answering a selection of repair questions - sent in by you! 

Put your repair riddles in front of their impressively practical team. Necole the metal-worker, Darren the potter, George the roboticist, and Romain the carpenter and technologist bring a wealth of fixing expertise from a range of disciplines. They will address your repair questions with all of their creative energy, their practical know-how, and probably a few comedy fart noises.

To submit your repair question, fill in the form via this link.

This live-streamed conversation is free and open to all.

Important: the Institute of Making's COVID-19 policy for Repair Week

The Institute of Making has adopted some temporary measures for our in-person events during Repair Week, to ensure the safety of their team and to help everyone attending to feel as comfortable as possible.

Negative test result required:

All event participants coming to the Institute of Making will need to show proof of a negative lateral flow test taken within 48 hours of the event. You can either show your test result on your NHS app, or show text message confirmation of a negative test result. Unfortunately they will not be able to give access to anyone without a negative test result.

Links: Order a free lateral flow test / Register your test result on the gov.uk website

Face coverings:

At the Institute of Making's in-person events, all participants are required to wear a face covering. If you are unable to wear a face covering, please book onto their online events instead. Their staff are happy to help you find an online event or to work with you to work out a type of face covering that will enable you to attend the in-person event. Email events@instituteofmaking.org.uk with any questions.

COVID symptoms:

If you experience any COVID-19 symptoms, including a temperature, please cancel your event booking through Eventbrite and stay at home. We know it can be disappointing to miss an event, but it is important to keep everyone safe.

Do you have specific access requirements?

The Institute of Making would like to make sure that everyone can join their events and use their website as easily as possible. Please message them if you need any particular support or assistance while attending their space or using their platforms, so they can ensure those. They are also always interested in feedback to help them improve access to their activities. Contact Sara by following this link.