Free block-printing workshops that brought Wandsworth’s communities together through South Asian heritage
Stamped! Block Printing in the Borough was a series of free workshops I designed and led across Wandsworth in July 2025, for South Asian Heritage Month and as part of Wandsworth’s London Borough of Culture programme. It was made possible through a South Asian Heritage Month grant that I wrote and secured.
Each session was run with a different community partner. Using traditional hand-carved blocks and vibrant textile inks, participants printed fabric to take home and silk squares that became part of Shamiyana, a block-printed canopy created by Wandsworth’s communities.
The Story
Block printing has deep roots in India and has been used for centuries to tell stories on cloth. I wanted to bring that tradition into community rooms across the borough, so people could pick up the blocks, choose their colours and make something of their own.
In my grant application, the safe option for the shared artwork was a Kantha-inspired patchwork blanket. My bucket-list dream was a shamiyana: a vibrant ceremonial tent canopy, a symbol of shelter, celebration and togetherness. The dream won.
The workshops were deliberately spread across different corners of the borough, from Roehampton to Battersea. What began as a plan for two workshops grew to four, each with a different community partner.
Creative Process
Each session began with my collection of hand-carved wooden blocks and a short demonstration of how a print and a repeat are built. Participants tested their ideas on paper before moving onto fabric and silk.
I brought a few printed samples to spark ideas, and most people quickly found their own way, combining borders, motifs and repeats into patterns that were entirely theirs.
Some prints went home with their proud makers. The silk squares stayed with me, to be stitched into the shamiyana canopy.
Every silk square from these workshops became part of Shamiyana
Four workshops, four communities
SW15 Women’s Network · Alton Activity Centre, Roehampton
Our first workshop was a women-only session hosted by SW15 Women’s Network at the Alton Activity Centre. It was a joyful, colourful and absolutely packed morning: everyone got stuck in with wooden blocks and bold inks, printing, chatting and experimenting.
Happy Homes Community · Asian Women’s Resource Centre
My first collaboration with Happy Homes Community, an inspiring organisation supporting the wellbeing and resilience of Asian families. Fozia gave us a warm welcome and delicious food. I delivered most of the session in Hindi, and though many of the women spoke Urdu, our shared language of art carried us. I also had the rare joy of speaking Bengali, my mother tongue.
575 Wandsworth Road · Battersea Arts Centre
A session for Common Ground, 575 Wandsworth Road’s nature-inspired community arts programme for adults, hosted at Battersea Arts Centre. Inspired by my hand-carved wooden blocks and the carvings at 575 Wandsworth Road, participants carved rubber printing blocks of their own and printed long, colourful lengths of fabric.
Arty Crafty Crescent Club · Cromwell House
Our final session was my second collaboration with Tia and Arty Crafty Crescent Club, this time at Cromwell House. A lively, intergenerational afternoon where participants printed onto silk, paper and even a T-shirt.
My Role
I wrote the grant application and budget, conceived the programme and managed its delivery from start to finish: booking venues, coordinating the four community partners, and sourcing the blocks, inks and fabrics.
In each session I led the demonstration and facilitation, supporting participants to develop their own designs. Afterwards, I gathered every printed silk square to create Shamiyana, which opened at Balham Library from 7 to 15 August 2025.
Community Impact
- Four free workshops in four venues, connecting communities from Roehampton to Battersea.
- Two sessions fully booked.
- Women-only sessions created a relaxed, welcoming space, with sessions delivered across languages.
- Every participant took home a piece they had printed themselves, and contributed to a shared public artwork.
“I’d never tried block printing before. Now I can spot my square and say, ‘I was part of this.’”
Workshop participant
Partners & Credits
- Concept, delivery and facilitation: Roopa Basu
- Funding Secured By: Roopa Basu via South Asian Heritage Month grant
- Part of: Wandsworth’s London Borough of Culture 2025
- Community Partners: Jo, SW15 Women’s Network; Fozia, Happy Homes Community; Erica, 575 Wandsworth Road (National Trust); Tia, Arty Crafty Crescent Club
- With thanks to: Alton Activity Centre, Asian Women’s Resource Centre, Battersea Arts Centre and Cromwell House for hosting