‘Bears Who Care’ with Sarabande artist Dean Hoy

‘Bears Who Care’ with Sarabande artist Dean Hoy

"Bears Who Care" was a heartwarming and wholesome workshop to say the least. Reminiscent of the cosy atmosphere from Dean's studio, the main space was transformed into a children's bedroom, complete with blankets, beanbags, teddy bears, and Disney books, creating the perfect setting to spark attendees' childlike curiosity during London Craft Week.

Dean Hoy is a London-based visual artist, working in soft sculpture, film, and photography. His soft sculpture project, "Bears Who Care," is ongoing.

Drawing from Dean's unique style and series, guests learned his patchwork quilting and sewing techniques to create a larger-than-life teddy bear picnic rug together.

"Bears Who Care" was born from a desire to foster connection and express emotions in an isolated world, while also giving new life to teddy bears that tugged at Dean's heartstrings, found discarded outside charity shops and on London streets.

At the end of the workshop, the communally created picnic blanket was laid out. Guests had the option to take home the piece they worked on, symbolising self-care, or leave it behind to be sewn together by Dean, representing collective care.

Thank you to everyone who joined us! Stay up to date with all our current and future events at Sarabande by signing up for our newsletter