This workshop is a mindful art-making experience where intuition and the present moment guide the creative process.

Drawing from the artist Dai Trang's practice and Zen Buddhist teachings, participants will engage with the cultural and spiritual dimensions of art-making and creativity. They will explore at their own pace, tuning into their internal and external states through semi-guided instructions.

Using textiles and mixed media, participants transform time, space, and life’s circumstances into unique, personal artworks. The focus is on curiosity, letting go, slowing down and the creative journey, rather than technical skill or the final result. While engaging with the cultural and spiritual dimensions of Zen and mindfulness, the session unfolds organically, allowing the process to shape the work.

The workshop provides space for presence, reflection, and connection - with oneself, with others, and with the more-than-human world - offering a creative experience that fosters awareness, self-connection, and mindful engagement with the moment.

About the artist

Dai Trang's cultural and philosophical approach to this workshop:

Large parts of Dai Trang's practice are informed by Plum Village Zen Buddhist tradition. While rooted in ancient Buddhism and influenced by Vietnamese culture, this practice evolved through cross-cultural exchange. Today, its approach to mindfulness is secular and widely practiced around the world.

As such, the experience offered in this workshop has cultural origins in Buddhism and Vietnamese traditions, while also existing as a universal, contemporary practice accessible across cultures.

Growing up in Vietnam, where Buddhism, ancestor veneration, and generational lineage are intertwined with everyday culture, Dai Trang absorbed these philosophies naturally. While she did not inherit textile skills directly, textile heritage has always been a vital part of her upbringing and culture and therefore embedded in her in spirit.

Together, these influences - Zen Buddhist practice, mindfulness, and cultural textile traditions - inform her artistic approach - an exploration of mindfulness through art-making.

Additional thoughts

Dai Trang's practice often invites participants to connect with their inner world and emotions, including some that may feel challenging or tender at times. While this workshop isn’t meant to be clinical in nature, in her past sessions, even when difficult emotions have arisen, participants have shared that they found value in noticing and accepting them without needing to change anything.

What else you need to know

• Suitable for beginners 18 years and older (No previous textile artmaking experience required).

• We provide most materials, but you may like to bring a notebook and pen for reflective writing, or any found objects that you would like to incorporate in your art (textile-based items preferred)

• If your circumstances change and you can no longer attend this workshop, please email nvouis@ahc.sa.gov.au before 5pm, Thursday 19 March 2026. After this time and date, we cannot issue refunds.

• Tea and coffee provided.

This workshop is presented as part of Fabrik's Heritage Workshop Program, a series of skills development and cultural knowledge-sharing workshops hosted by makers who reflect the rich heritage of our diverse communities.

We are currently looking for makers who may wish to share their inherited or culturally diverse creative skills. We also welcome proposals from artists of culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds whose practice and ideas articulate their lived experiences and sense of identity. Find out how to apply here.

Inclusion in the Fabrik mailing list

By registering for a Fabrik workshop or event your name and email address will be added to our contact list. This means from time to time you will receive Fabrik program updates by email. If you wish to opt out, please email the Public Programs Officer (nvouis@ahc.sa.gov.au) directly with Contact List Opt-Out in the subject heading and your full name in the message.

Parking at Fabrik when attending a workshop. Please refer to the helpful diagram.