As We Are Workshops @ Our Longsight Festival
21 August '26 - 23 August '26
Our Longsight Festival is free three-day community festival celebrating the people and places that make Longsight, Manchester, what it is today. Having collaborated earlier this Summer with Longsight Art Space on our As We Are Network Creative Exchange Day, we’re delighted to partner again to offer workshops at the Longsight Festival led by members of the As We Are Network, our artist development programme. These workshops have been supported by Manchester City Council’s Neighbourhood Fund.
A Map of Attention – A Workshop by Hana Elmarakbi
Friday 21 August 4-5:30pm Free, book via Eventbrite
A hands-on collage and mapping workshop asking: what does Longsight really look like to the people who live here?
A Map of Attention is a hands-on creative workshop led by writer and facilitator Hana Elmarakbi, exploring how a place is shaped by the stories we tell about it and what happens when we tell different ones.
Longsight has long been characterised in national and local news through stories of crime and deprivation. But alongside those accounts exists another Longsight entirely, one of community organising, artistic practice, mutual care, celebration and decades of resident-led action.
This session puts the story of the neighbourhood back where it belongs: in the hands of the people who live it.
Starting from a collection of images depicting Longsight: newspaper headlines, lived experiences, favourite places, community moments that participants will explore together the different ways the neighbourhood is seen, experienced and remembered. Hana will then guide the group through using those images to collage a new map of Longsight. One that is made by us, for us.
No experience necessary. All materials provided.
Upcycle your old clothes in Arabic fashion!
Saturday 22 August 12-4pm Crowcroft Park – Drop in
Celebrate the significance of Arabic culture in Longsight and breathe new life into your old and unwanted clothes or fabric items on Saturday 22nd August as part of Our Longsight Festival’s Day in the Park! Guided by Alaa Zalat, you will have the opportunity to upgrade unwanted fabric items using stencils of Arabic letters, symbols from ancient egypt, Moroccan zelige and Islamic calligraphy. Bring your tshirts, napkins, pencil cases, bags, whatever you would like to experiment with!
Alaa Zalat is a member of Rise and Flourish and has been working on fashion and environment for some six years. She is passionate about culture and upcycling fashion. This workshop is supported by The Arab British Centre’s As We Are, Might Have Been and Could Be programme focused on artist development.
The Shared Cloth – Napkin Making Workshop
Sunday 23 August 3:30-5:30pm Free, book via Eventbrite Orchard Garden, Crowcroft Park, Longsight M12 4GA
Craft your own napkin using drawing, stitching and felt; and bring it to the community dinner table the same evening.
Before the community dinner, come and make something to bring to the table.
The Shared Cloth is a hands-on napkin making workshop led by multi-disciplinary artist Hannaa Hamdache. Through guided conversation about food, culture and memory, you will use drawing, simple stitching and felt appliqués to transform cultural motifs and culinary symbols into a beautifully unique, hand-designed napkin.
No experience necessary. All materials provided. Suitable for all skill levels.
Your napkin will be yours to keep and hoping that it would be the perfect companion for future dinners, conversations, spillages and crumbs.
This workshop takes place on the afternoon of Sunday 23 August, ahead of The Longsight Table Community Dinner in the Orchard Garden. You are warmly encouraged to stay for the dinner, but it is not required: the workshop and dinner are separately ticketed.
This workshop is supported by The Arab British Centre’s As We Are, Might Have Been and Could Be programme focused on artist development.
Free, but ticketed to manage numbers. Spaces are limited so book early.
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🗓️ Sunday 23 August 2026, 3:30pm – 5:30pm