Join visual artists Julia MacConville and Susanne Horsch for a drop-in weekend workshop sharing techniques for repairing and repurposing textiles and old clothes.

Shoppe is pop-up project exploring waste, sustainability, encouraging sustainable and collective creativity
in response to the fast fashion industry. The name shoppe, drawn from Old English (originally meaning a place where things are manufactured or crafted; a workshop), evokes a space rooted in the act of making rather than commerce.

Our aim is to create a welcoming, hands-on environment that centres creative process, sustainability, and community. ‘Shoppe’ responds to fast fashion through collective acts of reuse, repair, and reimagining of discarded textiles. In a relaxed and inclusive setting, we invite artists to gather, mend, chat, and share skills—celebrating slow, thoughtful making over production for profit.

At our Shoppe we have invited participants to engage with our project through;

• Reimagining rail - a rail of curated collection of damaged garments, a starting point for discussion on
  garments history and potential repairs or ‘reimaginings’ - each tagged with its story. Artists can contribute
  items and add mending or redesign ideas via “care labels.” Collaborative repair is encouraged.

• Hands-On Skill Sharing Guided sewing sessions focusing on visible mending, repairs, and projects like
  XL tote bag kit - cut from upcycled curtain fabrics with instructions provided.

• Unfinished Projects Table A space for artists to engage with in-progress textile pieces, offering unique
  learning opportunities.

• Shoppe labels unlimited edition printed labels (1/∞) - these are made using recycled fabric that has
  been ‘Hapa Zome’ printed and lino printed with the ‘shoppe’ logo.
  We see this project as needs based and community focused and are interested in collaborating and
  evolving shoppe.

Ages: All ages

Julia MacConville is a Visual Artist and Costume designer based in Thomastown, Kilkenny. Her practice is concerned with community connections within the contexts of wellness and ecology, exploring collective creativity, skill-sharing, and material engagement.

Julia studied Painting at the National College of Art and Design (NCAD), Dublin, and Costume Design at Inchicore College.

Recent projects include Space Crafts, a STEAM learning research program in collaboration with the SFI at Dunsink Observatory; Shoppe, exploring textile waste and sustainable practice; and Sew and Sing, an intergenerational workshop combining hand crafting, storytelling, and music. Her costume design work spans theatre, film, and live performance, including work with the Abbey Theatre, History Channel’s Vikings, Disney’s Disenchanted, and Riverdance.

Susanne Horsch is a Swiss visual artist based in County Kilkenny, currently working from a studio at GOMA Waterford. She is a recent graduate of Ulster University, where she completed an MFA in Fine Art at the Belfast School of Art. Working primarily with textiles and soft sculpture, her practice explores themes of introspection, care, and connection, which also inform her community-based work.

Alongside her studio practice, Susanne facilitates community and socially engaged art projects with both children and adults. She previously worked as an Art Facilitator at KCAT Art Centre in Callan and collaborated on Carlow Arts Festival’s Carnival of Collective Joy. Recent collaborative projects include Shoppe, which explores textile waste and sustainable practices, and Sew and Sing, an intergenerational workshop combining handcrafting, storytelling, and song. She was selected for the 2025 Teacher–Artist Partnership (TAP) programme, where she designed and delivered school-based art residencies in Kilkenny and facilitated workshops for Wexford County Council’s Rural Connections project.

Recent highlights include the 2025 RDS Visual Art Awards at the Royal Hibernian Academy in Dublin, curated by Niamh O’Malley, the 2025 Ulster University Graduate Award from CCA Derry, and the 2026 Garden Studio Residency at Butler Gallery in Kilkenny, alongside upcoming solo exhibitions in Callan, Belfast, and Switzerland.

The Sustainable Futures Summer School is kindly funded by Creative Ireland.