What stories dwell within you, waiting to be liberated through the art of Saori weaving?

Artist and storyseeker Natalia Tan invites you to draw deep from the palette of your imagination and chase the thrill of tactility. Together, we will experiment with capturing raw, unspoken truth and beauty through colour, texture and play.

This workshop is presented in conjunction with GLISTEN by Lisa Reihana and is undergirded by the unique philosophy of Saori weaving. This communal art-making experience is a portal to free expression and an invitation to re-enchant ourselves with the magic of making.

Bring something that moves you—be it a favourite childhood toy that is ready for transformation (maybe today’s the day?), an old shirt whose memory you’d like to reimagine, a signature scent or a shimmering handful of sequins that brought a smile to your face one morning.

Tickets for this workshop are priced at $20 per person. The workshop is open to adults and children who can be trusted around sharp tools (e.g., scissors and needles) and other people’s feelings. Children must be accompanied by parents/caregivers throughout the workshop. 

  • When: 2 Mar 2025
  • Suitable For: Adults, Visitors 65 and above, Visitors with accessibility needs, Students and Educators
  • Where: Rooftop Studios 1–4, National Gallery Singapore
  • S$20, registration required
Register now
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About the Exhibition

GLISTEN by Lisa Reihana is the seventh iteration of the Ng Teng Fong Roof Garden Commission series. This kinetic sculpture emerges from Reihana’s longstanding research into Māori ancestral knowledge, materials and costumes. Drawing from indigenous handwoven disciplines such as Southeast Asia’s Songket and Māori Tāniko weaving, Reihana innovatively integrates contemporary designs to craft a mural of playful, shimmering colours activated by its surroundings.

This sculptural mural honours the traditions, labour and pivotal roles of Songket and Tāniko’s women weavers as makers, communicators, knowledge bearers and mediators prior to the Asia Pacific region’s first contact with Western culture. GLISTEN points towards the plurality of feminisms that existed in pre-colonial societies and continue to persist in the Asia Pacific

About Natalia Tan

Natalia Tan is a transdisciplinary artist, educator, co-founder of the Singapore Eco Arts Festival and fellow of the Artistic Directors Academy at T:>Works. After an encounter with Saori weaving in Japan in 2014 spiralled into obsession and then into full immersion in 2019, she has dedicated her creative practice to connecting the material, immaterial and human. An active advocate of sustainability and socially-engaged art-making, Natalia is known for her use of salvaged waste materials and found objects in public co-creation projects. In her art facilitation practice, she invites participants to explore memory and imagination through their senses.