2026 - DICTIONARY
The Art Pavilion, Mile End Park
London E3 4QY
17 – 26 April
Open 11:00-18:00 daily
This year’s exhibition explores the hidden meanings embedded in words: their origins, their shifting forms across centuries, misunderstandings, transformations, and cultural echoes.
Through the language of stitch and the limitless possibilities of textile materials, the artists investigate new ways of expressing ideas, developing fresh interpretations and unexpected constructs, using everything from cloth to stone, silk to steel.
Free workshops
PRISM members will also be offering free drop-in workshops throughout the exhibition. There’s no need to book - first come, first served.
Fri 17 April
14:30-16:30
Nerissa Cargill Thompson
Stitching Found Florals
Participants will create textile artworks from sections of floral fabrics cut from old clothing, embellished with simple stitch and beading. All materials provided.
Max participants: 12
Age: 18+ or 12+ if accompanied by an adult
Sun 19 & 26 April
14:30-16:30
In this playful, hands-on workshop we will create simple 3D forms from cloth and wadding, then bring them to life with embroidery to make lively stitched creatures. You will explore a range of embroidery techniques, building up texture, colour and expressive line to create your own unique creature(s) to take home. Suitable for beginners and all experience levels. All materials provided.
Age: 18+
Wolfgang Woerner
3D Shapes, Marks and Textures
Mon 20 April
11:30-13:30
Mending garments which have moth (or other) holes, using darning or patching. Guerilla darning is NOT invisible – the idea is that the repair becomes an integral and, hopefully, beautiful part of the garment. Participants should bring any garments they want to mend. The tutor will bring some spares.
Max participants: 12
Age: 18+
Patti Taylor
Guerilla Darning and Visible Repair
Wed 22 April
11:30-13:30
Using fabric and running stitch the participants will make a small, stitched textile bowl. All materials provided.
Max participants: 10
Age: 16+
Maria Walker
Stitched Textile Vessels
Wed 22 April
14:30-16:30
Using a felting needle and a range of pure wool felt, participants will design and make small, felted pictures to which they can add stitching and various embellishments before gluing onto a card. All materials provided.
Max participants: 12
Age: 10+
Julieanne Long
Needle Felted Picture Cards
Fri 24 April
14:30-16:30
Much of Annie’s work uses ever decreasing sizes of scrap fabric, offcuts from other work. These scraps have a beauty and character of their own, plus their irregular shapes suggest ideas to us. Using Annie’s scrap bin, participants will create a little figure to take away, and be inspired to think about how to use those offcuts creatively. Participants are asked to bring any scraps of fabric should they wish to; otherwise all material provided.
Max participants: 8
Age: 12+
Annie Taylor
Scrappy Dolls
Sat 25 April
11:30-13:30
The Art of Slow Patchwork: stay for ten minutes or two hours to learn this skill. Discover the pleasure of keeping your hands busy while the mind rests. Join us to learn how to create something beautiful and meditative—English patchwork is the perfect craft for relaxing and sofa-stitching during quiet moments. We will explore the basics of construction and the creative possibilities of embellishment to infuse your work with your own style and character. All materials provided, although donations of block colour or small printed cotton fabrics would be most welcome.
Max participants: 10
Age: Any
Vivienne Beaumont
Relaxing Patchwork
Sat 25 April
14:30-16:30
This workshop invites participants to create a soft felt protective case using simple stitching and recycled materials. It connects to Sabine’s art work ‘Protection’, by exploring how small textile gestures can safeguard the everyday, and carry emotional and material memory. Participants are asked to bring a small sewing kit which includes needles and scissors as well as fabric scraps (optional).
Max participants: 6
Age: 13+
Sabine Kane
Protect Your Glasses - Pens – Scissors