Stamped! Block Printing in the Borough

Part of Wandsworth’s London Borough of Culture 2025 programme

Join award-winning artist Roopa Basu for Stamped! Block Printing in the Borough — a joyful community art project celebrating the heritage of South Asian block printing through hands-on workshops and a vibrant exhibition.

Funded by  South Asian Heritage Month grant from Wandsworth Arts, this project invites Wandsworth residents of all backgrounds to learn traditional printing techniques, create their own fabric designs, and contribute to a large-scale collaborative textile artwork. Workshops are free and open to all levels—just bring your curiosity and creativity! Participants will use traditional wooden blocks and colourful inks to experiment, learn, and connect. Artists and makers are especially encouraged to join and help co-create the community artwork.

Workshops:

• July 22, 1–3pm (Women Only)
  Asian Women’s Resource Centre, Mantle Court, Mapleton Rd, SW18 4AU

• July 25, 12–2pm
  The Venue Community Centre, Park Court, Doddington & Rollo Estate, Battersea Park Rd, SW11 4LD

Exhibition: Opens August 7, 2025
Balham Library, 16 Ramsden Rd, London SW12 8QY

The exhibition brings together the collective creativity of Wandsworth’s communities in a stunning block-printed shamiyana—a large decorative canopy inspired by South Asian traditions of shelter, gathering, and celebration. Created collaboratively in the workshops, this textile installation is both a visual centrepiece and a symbolic space of welcome and shared expression.

Visitors can explore the stories, symbols, and memories embedded in the fabric, learn about the history of block printing, and even try their hand at a simplified print activity. This project is part of Wandsworth’s programme as London Borough of Culture 2025.

About the Artist:
Roopa Basu is a London-based, multi award-winning artist whose multidisciplinary practice spans painting, mixed media, and design. Raised across three continents, her work explores themes of light, memory, and belonging. With a background in print design and as founder of her studio Roopadesigns, she brings a strong visual storytelling sensibility to her work. Roopa leads a wide range of community arts initiatives, including large-scale murals and installations, and was recently selected for Culturally Mindful, a creative health residency. Her practice is rooted in the ethos: think globally, act locally. here