I was commissioned by Leicester University Student Centre to create a workshop for 50 students. Initially my idea had been to create lanterns using, "Lucky Red Envelopes". However, due to the cost involved for the volume of students I had to adapt the idea to use red card with a stencilled image, either a paw print or the word dog in Chinese writing.
As sometimes happens plans for the day changed from 2 x 1½ hour workshop to 1 x 1½ hour workshop. Somewhere along the way this had also gone from a sit down workshop inside to a Make and Take opportunity outside in the events square.
Thinking cap on, and I decided the only way I could run this smoothly without too many frustrated people was to make up kits with all the things required to make a lantern apart from scissors, sticky tape, stencil and ink pads.
The workshop day finally arrived with preparations all done. When I arrived on campus I was guided to the area I would be working in which consisted of 6 separate tables covered with gazebo's. I had visions of me running up and down the tables maintaining 30 people. This would never do. I had two tables moved together to form one long table and then 2 separate tables. That way there was an area to stencil and an area to assemble the lanterns
Sad to say I missed the dragon dance but please click on the video above to get a feel for the day. Don't blink though or you'll miss seeing the lantern
Although my time was 1½ hours, I stayed for 2 just to make sure everyone had completely finished. And it was full on for the entire time I was there I can tell you. All in all it was a lovely experience, with excited chattering, plenty of huge smiles and completed lanterns which says it all to me.
I worked out that every 2 minutes a new person turned up to the table to do some making. A job well done, don't you think.
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