UNFURL: Weekend Workshops

We acknowledge this event takes place on the unceded lands of the Wurundjeri Woi-Wurrung people of the Kulin Nation. We pay our respects to Elders past & present. Always was, always will be, Aboriginal land. UNFURL: weekend workshops For the first time, two UNFURL workshops will be held on a weekend (on Saturday October 24) – for everyone who's wanted to come along but can't make the usual Thursday sessions. The two sessions are available individually or together as a full day pass. Sessions are held at NECCHi East Coburg and along the Merri Merri. For both sessions, please meet at NECCHi East Coburg. Here's some info: Session 1 – 10am to 12pm Ecologies of attention with Craig Burgess Join this restful morning drawing session for some time and space to revitalise our ‘ecologies of attention’ through drawing together, in conversation with the life of the Merri Merri creek, Wurundjeri Country. More and more is being said about the different ways our capacity for attention is being worn out through things like large language models and social media algorithms. In parallel with this, more and more people are seeking ways to be with each other offline. In this context, creative process, unmediated by tech, is acquiring a different kind of value. And in contrast to highly complex tools (such as AI), the simple tools of paper and pencil offer us something different – perhaps asking something of us, inviting something in us to come forward, to meet and attend to the worlds we’re part of differently. Touching pencil to paper, in conversation the living world, gently invites us to be here with our sensing bodies, to respond, to notice, to enter into dialogue, to dwell in relationship with materiality, with each other and with more-than-human worlds, and through relating this way, maybe even to feel all the different ways that we are not alone. So – take a break from your smartphone, and come along to this morning workshop experiment with drawing in nature as a form of attentional rest, with a friendly bunch of folk, in a supportive space :) This session will take place outdoors, along the Merri Merri. Session 2 – 1pm to 3pm Noticing the butterflies and moths of the Merri Merri with Craig Burgess Using photos from iNaturalist and the Entomological Society of Victoria's Insect Checklists & ID Guides as source material, learn to recognise the moths and butterflies of the Merri Merri creek, Wurundjeri Country, through drawing and creative process. In this friendly space of non-expertise, experiment with drawing, ‘get your eye in’ and notice with greater intimacy the butterflies and moths of where we live. Does drawing the shapes and patterns of butterflies and moths support us to notice them more? At the end of the workshop, help plant up pollinator-friendly mini-gardens at NECCHi East Coburg and take home a plant for your balcony, garden or nature strip. No need for experience with drawing… or insects :) This session will take place indoors at NECCHi East Coburg and in the Community Garden About UNFURL These friendly weekly plant-centred making sessions, hosted by Craig from Draw Plants Together, are an opportunity for creativity each week, in supportive company and in conversation with plants. The Thursday sessions offer folk coming along a diverse program of plant-centred making activities with guest artists and facilitators, and offer artists and facilitators a supportive space to deepen their facilitation practice at the meeting place of nature-connectedness and creativity. This term our focus will be on the Merri Merri Creek and the community garden at NECCHi East Coburg as places we are in relationship with in the UNFURL sessions. Join us! Meet Craig! See here for more info about Craig and Draw Plants Together. Accessibility: Info can be found here. If you are experiencing financial hardship we are always happy to discuss how we can help you access this program - please contact NECCHi via email. And don't forget! NECCHi Members, are entitled to 10% off a full price ticket when you enter your membership discount code. Join NECCHi now to enjoy all the benefits NECCHi Neighbour 2026. Please Note: By purchasing tickets to this event, you agree to the NECCHi event and ticketing Terms and Conditions.