Event Details

A hands-on art workshop creating images of the women who inspire you drawing on the techniques & practices of Orthodox iconography.

The Department of English Literature and Creative Writing at Lancaster University will host a creative writing and image-making workshop inspired by the ancient artform of iconography with artist, Brian Baker, and poet, Azelina Flint. Participants will draw on the techniques, rituals, and theories of iconography to create images of historic female icons and the unknown women who have transformed their lives. During this interfaith event, we will discuss how to expand the visibility of women and minority groups in worship spaces through combining the two definitions of an “icon” as a devotional image of a holy figure and a celebrated person who has become a symbol for a wider secular community. Together, we will explore the role of art in expressing our personal beliefs and spiritual experiences, and what it might mean to decolonise religious rituals and worship practices. Through welcoming delegates of all faiths and none, we hope to foster dialogue about how images, rituals, and female icons, have enriched our lives with a focus on the things we share. At the end of the session, we will create reflective poems about how the icon-making process has deepened our appreciation of the female icons who inspire us.