Summer School Adult Workshop: Speaking with Clay with Vanessa Donoso López

This is a free event, booking essential as spaces are limited.

Explore the ancient art of Sumerian cylinder seals through creating your own contemporary version. We'll first create a plaster cylindrical mould to later, then carve into it using various tools to design our own modern-day "signature" seal. Once carved, these cylinders will be rolled over clay to leave a repeating impression—just like the originals from 3500 BCE.

This process offers a unique way to engage with the ingenuity of early civilizations. Cylinder seals were among the first tools for identity, storytelling, and administration—used to sign tablets, label goods, and even worn as amulets. Inspired by Sumerian civilization, you'll create a design that reflects your own 21st-century narratives.

No experience is necessary.

Vanessa Donoso López’s work unfolds through making installations that look at cross-cultural identity, migration and the elements emerging from the inhabited space. She uses a variety of processes, including archaeological experimentation, collaborative clay sourcing, drawing, and conversations around repetitive object making.

Event location information: The workshop will take place in the street-facing gallery space at Temple Bar Gallery + Studios, with access to a semi-accessible bathroom. For further access information, please contact TBG+S Learning + Public Engagement Curator Órla Goodwin.

This event is part of Summer School 2025, a four-day programme where the Gallery is dedicated to artistic activity, workshops and conversation. Click here to explore more events.