Crafts & Skills

CRAFTS & SKILLS

Sunrise Off-Grid will be hosting a wide range of demonstrations and workshops on both traditional crafts and new technologies that can help us into a more sustainable future. Learning to create your own craft items is a useful practical skill, and a means to self-expression, you might just discover a whole new side to yourself.

So far we have booked the following workshops, more info on other workshops will be added as we book them.

Crafty Rascals Stonecarvers will be showing off some of their beautiful stonecarvings and offering free stone pendant carving workshops. At Sunrise Celebration 09 they bought along an amazing levitating man, so we’re hoping he may be making an appearance at Off-Grid too!

Pottery workshops led by the truly awesome potter and archaeologist Eddie Daughton. Eddie, in the true spirit of “Off Grid”will be doing a pottery firing from an indigenous (Neolithic) culture of the South Western UK, (the Hembury Potters) this will involve you in making the pots, preparing the clay etc, and give you a lasting memento of the experience. It will all culminate in a firing towards the end of the festival, acting as both a climax to the workshop and a celebration of the sharing of ideas and breath during the event. Take a look at some of Eddie’s own raku pottery work at www.4uall2c.com/eddiedaughton/index.html

Herbwalk and Herbal Medicine Making, Nik is a really inspiring teacher with a huge knowledge of the healing herbs of the hedgerows. She will be showing you what can be safely picked and made into a healing salve with a few other common household ingredients.

Astrology workshops and readings with Janetta Morton, Janetta has over 20 years of experience in Astrology and holds a certificate from the Centre for Psychological Astrology. Janetta has many years of experience running teaching courses in England and Australia.

Learn how to convert your campervan at a workshop with Wayne from Cartwheel Collective www.cartwheels-collective.co.uk/Van-tastic.html There will be drop-in Sessions and Q&As from his bus, a talk on Camper Van Conversion and demonstrations throughout the event.

Rocket Stove Demonstrations and Workshops with Steven and Louise. Rocket Stoves are super efficient - check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocket_stove for more information.

Triban Collective are coming along to do some Renewable Energy Workshops and demonstrate the sort of technology that enables them to run their beautiful solar powered venue, and regular gatherings in Wales. Check them out at http://triban.org/

Campaign for Real Events will be alternating sessions on their Children's Pedal Generators (where even little children can generate their own electricity to power lights, a gameboy or other applications) with practical workshops dismantling computer printers and making LED windmills www.c-realevents.demon.co.uk/

Arc Village We are very, very excited to be hosting Arc Village who will be demonstrating their Solar powered 250,000 volt Tesla coil, a solar parabolic dish for cooking and running a solar engine, hydrogen breakdown and explosion from water demonstration (yes, they make water explode in front of your eyes!). Wind generators and solar hot water system, regulators and inverters,constant talks and demonstrations of engines that run on any fuel. Wood gas, methane, Tesla turbine, veg oil conversions, hydrogen conversions... and a lot of other fascinating electronic and renewable wizardry. Ian has a fantastic way of explaining science that makes it extremely good fun, and comprehensible to adults and children. See www.arcvillage.org

Eco-dc will be giving talks, demonstrations and workshops. Eco-dc has significant experience of experimental projects in both new build and refurbishment, with particular emphasis in moving towards achieving the demanding German PassivHaus standard. Each project has presented new challenges in the use of materials, sustainability, buildability and usability, performance and quality. Check them out at

Treadle Sewing Machine Workshop with Shaz from Creations in Cloth, giving you an opportunity to bring new life to old materials, mainly making bags from recycled materials, ribbons, beads and braiding. Small cost to cover materials.

Our workshop leaders are very kindly giving their time for nothing, some of the workshops will be completely free, others will involve paying to cover materials

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