Collective Forms

24 May 2025

A close up photo showing a group of adults working together to draw on a large sheet of paper

In Autumn 2024 we collaborated with socially-engaged textile artist Alice Burnhope and three local community groups. Following an open call to participate, groups took part in a series of weekly workshops exploring natural dye techniques, creating a public display of artworks and a celebration event for participants and their friends and family.

About the project

Inspired by the seasonal theme of Inspiration Sculpture and Our Natural World, three community groups made a series of sculptural textile hangings in collaboration with artist Alice Burnhope. These created a public installation of Collective Forms, on display during the closing weekend of the season, 2-3 November 2024.

In a series of weekly workshops leading up to the installation, groups reflected on Henry Moore’s own themes, processes and surrounding environment. These included his daily drawings, textile designs and nature inspired sculptures. Each group then bundle dyed and pigment painted textiles using botanicals, and collectively chose and sketched the sculptural forms that helped their final outcomes take shape.

To celebrate their work and the public installation, participants across the three groups were welcomed back to meet each other, and share their work together at an event called Tea Like Moore at 4. As a daily ritual, Henry Moore and his creative assistants would break for tea at 4 o’clock. This ensured that they made time to take a break together, to talk about the work that they had achieved, and to decide what they could do next.

A group of older adults gathered around a workshop table. They are painting with ink.

“The observation of nature is part of an artist’s life, it enlarges his form-knowledge, keeps him fresh and from working only by formula, and feeds inspiration.

The human figure is what interests me most deeply, but I have found principles of form and rhythm from the study of natural objects such as pebbles, rocks, bones, trees, plants etc.

There is, in nature, a limitless variety of shapes and rhythms (and the telescope and microscope have enlarged the field) from which the sculptor can enlarge his form-knowledge experience.”

Henry Moore, 1934

An older woman, wearing a craft apron, is making a sketch using a clipboard. She is standing under a tree in a sculpture garden

The hands of an older man using inks to paint a design on a piece of white fabric

A group of adults with learning disabilities stand around a table. They are working together to roll up a length of fabric for dyeing.

A group of older adults sitting at tables which are arranged in a U shape. They are all listening attentively to a young woman who is giving a presentation about natural dyeing and textile art

A group of people looking with interest at textile artworks which are hanging in a conference room

Six abstract shapes made from dyed textiles, they are suspended from the ceiling of a conference room

Creative Contributors

With special thanks to all the creative contributors from Age Concern Ware, Herts Visual Arts, and Passport To Leisure St Albans.

Marian S, Brian, Anne, Mary, Diane, Lisette, Monica, Jack, Pat, Jessie, Joan

Marian H, Hazel, Dawn, Victoria C, Victoria P, Jackie, Sarah, Gill, Fiona, Jill, Angela, Barbara, Amy

Salpi, Tamir, Tom, Dan, Robbie, Mohammed, Mikey, Nigel, James, Niall, Nicola, Kae, Kirsty, Ollie and all support staff.

And to textile and socially engaged artist lead, Alice Burnhope.

A group of adults wearing craft aprons gathered around a young woman wearing glasses who is holding up a piece of dyed textile to display it to the camera

A group of adults from Passport to Leisure who are gathered around a young woman who is holding up a piece of fabric to display the design

A group of older adults from Age Concern Ware standing around a young woman who is holding up a piece of dyed fabric

A smiling young woman with curly hair and spectacles. She is standing in front of three hanging fabric shapes which have been dyed or painted with abstract patterns

About the Artist

Alice Burnhope is an award-winning textile artist and workshop facilitator, based at Cockpit Studios, London.

She specialises in interactive and socially-engaged artwork. She utilises discarded fabrics to address the current imbalance between material use, waste and the effect on the natural environment.

Alice creates immersive textile installations which have been exhibited in group and solo shows throughout the UK and internationally, in institutions such as Arthouse Jersey, Hayward Gallery and Alexandra Palace. She facilitates a host of creative workshops for prestigious clients such as Buckingham Palace, The Royal Horticultural Society and Now Gallery.

aliceburnhope.com

Want to collaborate? We’d like to hear from you

If you’re interested in getting your students involved in something similar, we welcome enquiries from universities, colleges and sixth forms to discuss and develop new opportunities together.

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Visit

Experience Henry Moore’s iconic work in the beautiful Hertfordshire countryside with a visit to the artist’s former home, studios and sculpture gardens.