Create Your Own Paper Sacred Cloth – a sustainable death care workshop

What to expect:

Join death educator Bonita Ralph and artist Anzara Clark for a unique hands-on workshop exploring creativity, ritual, and after-death care through the medium of traditional Korean paper textile techniques.

Throughout the day, you’ll create a handmade cloth (approximately 1.8 x 0.8 metres) that can be used to honour someone after death, accompany them for burial or cremation, or become a treasured family heirloom for generations of caring for the dead.

Combining guided design, paper textile making, quiet reflection, and a demonstration of respectful shrouding practices, this workshop offers a thoughtful space to explore mortality, meaning, and care through creativity.

This is a physically active workshop involving standing, sitting and sustained use of the hands and upper body (think kneading bread for about an hour). If you have any access requirements, please let us know.

You can explore more about Anzara’s paper cloth work and techniques on her website www.anzaraclark.com

Snacks and Lunch is provided. Please note any dietary requirements in the registration.

What to bring:

We invite you to bring any paper items you would like to add to your cloth. Some examples are: sheet music, pages from books, poetry, letters, writings. Please note that card and thick paper do not work. You could also write on your cloth during the process to incorporate words – we will have markers for this.

Please think about symbols, colours or themes that are important to you or the person you are making this cloth for. (once completed, this cloth can be added to over time with embroidery, markers etc).

Be flexible and adaptable to the process changing or not working as intended. As in life and death, this cloth may surprise you.

Please wear comfortable clothing and shoes that you don’t mind getting dirty. Often the dye from paper runs so that will stain your hands temporarily and perhaps clothing. BYO apron if you like.

BYO water bottle, plastic bag (your cloth will be wet for you to take home and dry out), small towel.

Following the workshop think about where at home you can lay out a 1.8 x .8 mtr (approx.) cloth flat to dry overnight – a clothes air dryer or dining table is good.

Getting to the Venue

The Djerring Centre is adjacent to the Collingwood Town Hall and the Collingwood Train Station.

There is free all day parking on a Sunday along Hoddle Street. Several Buses run along Hoddle St also.

To register and and purchase tickets visit https://events.humanitix.com/sacredpapercloth-afterdeathcare

Expression of Interest for a workshop Mentee

We are seeking a heartfelt mentee to support our paper cloth workshop, facilitated by death educator Bonita Ralph and artist Anzara Clark.

This is a unique opportunity for someone working in, studying, or training in palliative care, aged care, nursing, allied health, occupational therapy, social work, pastoral or spiritual care or funeral care, who is interested in deepening their understanding of death literacy, after-death care, and creative approaches to end-of-life care.

As a mentee, you’ll work alongside the facilitators throughout the day, assisting with set-up, participant support and pack-down, while observing the workshop process and learning about the role of creativity, ritual and community in caring for the dead.
There will be opportunities to ask questions, reflect on the experience, and gain practical insights into facilitating conversations about death and after-death care.
We are looking for someone who is:

• Passionate about compassionate end-of-life and after-death care.
• Curious, open to learning, and interested in death literacy.
• Warm, reliable and confident supporting participants in a group setting.
• Available for the full day, including set-up and pack-down.

This mentoring opportunity is ideal for someone wanting to expand their knowledge and confidence in community death care while learning alongside experienced facilitators. Whether you’re looking to integrate these ideas into your professional practice or are exploring this field more deeply, we’d love to hear from you.

Please note, you will NOT have the opportunity to create your own cloth and if you book a ticket to the workshop and are selected as a mentee, your fee will be refunded.

THANK YOU for your interest and support!

Please complete this EOI form if interested in the Mentee role: Expression of Interest – Workshop Mentee – Fill in form

EOI will close August 20th at 5pm.

Warmly Bonita & Anzara

*This event has been subsidised by the Proveda Dying to Know Community Grant. A feedback questionnaire is required to be completed at the end of the workshop. With your consent we will share some images/ video content for them that may be used in media platforms.