Surrealism was one of the most influential artistic movements of the 1900s, and Forbidden Territories: 100 Years of Surreal Landscapes marks the centenary of its origins when poet and critic Andre Breton first published his ‘Surrealist Manifesto’ and artists from across Britain and the globe became public names: Salvador Dali, Lee Miller, Max Ernst and Leonora Carrington.

Organised by The Hepworth Wakefield, the exhibition shows how these and other artists have created dreamlike scenes, imagined universes and bizarre creatures to express freedoms and anxieties through their work.

XR and digital artist Sepideh exhibited extensively in Iran before she relocated to the UK, so we were really excited when she agreed to produce and facilitate a series of ten surrealist-inspired collage workshops with our ‘Making Home’ groups while the exhibition was on display.

Participants recycled old magazines and printed media to create landscapes that explored the inner workings of their subconscious. The sessions also gave everyone an opportunity to delve into Sepideh’s world by reusing ‘digital waste’ (redundant or unnecessary data such as old emails and duplicate photographs) and glitch (technological errors).

Fiona Evans, Community Engagement Producer at The Box said:

Thanks to Sepideh’s artistic practice and the willingness of our groups to really get creative this summer’s ‘Making Home’ workshops have been truly brilliant. The Forbidden Territories exhibition is full of work by some of the most famous artists of the last century so there was a great deal to inspire people, but Sepideh’s ideas meant everyone could really explore and experiment, not just through the use of standard arts and crafts materials, but also through thinking about the relationship between humans and machines and encouraging our workshop participants to treat technology as a creative partner.

You can find out more about the The Box’s community engagement work here.

Jo Clarke is marketing and communications officer at The Box