Creative Encounters: The Londoners' Printing Press
Try your hand at typography and collaborative print-making, and learn the art of letterpress with artist Theo Hersey and a DIY printing press.
Creative Encounters is your creative space in the heart of the city, bringing together Londoners old and new for live performance, making and conversation.
In an evening of collaboration, inks and prints, we create The Londoner’s Printing Press, a one-time experiment in communal print-making. Draw and carve your own letterpress blocks to contribute to the printing tray, before using your blocks and those of others to create beautiful, text based prints.
Artist and designer Theo Hersey leads this workshop, guiding us the basics of typography and sharing insights to the world of letters, presses, inks and tools.
Theo Hersey is a letterpress printer and graphic designer based at The Typography Workshop, a printing studio which houses an unparalleled collection of wooden and metal letters, located in South London. He became captivated by the 500-year old process of letterpress printing whilst studying at London College of Communication.
Each week, Creative Encounters is accompanied by the National Poetry Library, bringing the Poetry Kitchen to fulfil all your poetry needs.
Need to know
This is a free event with no booking required. Activities begin at 5.30pm, but instructions are provided for any later arrivals.
Please be aware that this workshop involves the use of paint so may be messy.
Sharp tools are also used for lino-cutting. A full briefing and instructions for using these tools takes place at 6pm.
Our friendly sessions are designed for both those attending on their own or with others; there are opportunities to socialise and take part in activities together, but you are also very welcome to have a solo experience.
Creative Encounters is a fortnightly programme; dates are sometimes subject to change, so do always check the website. It is part of our Open Doors programme, a regular series of free events welcoming audiences to get creative and connect.
There is a ramp down to The Clore Ballroom stage and wheelchair accessible bathrooms throughout the venue.
If you require British Sign Language interpretation, please email [email protected] and we will try to accommodate your request.
For your visit
This event is held at the The Clore Ballroom Southbank Centre
The Clore Ballroom is open six days a week.
Tuesday, 10am – 6pm*
Wednesday – Sunday, 10am – 11pm
Monday, closed.
*If we’re hosting a performance, the building will stay open until the event ends.
Plan your visit
The Clore Ballroom is located inside our Royal Festival Hall on Level 2.
Getting here
Our address is Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London, SE1 8XX.
The nearest tube stations to us are Waterloo and Embankment; Waterloo is also the nearest train station. And more than 20 different London bus routes pass within 500 metres of our venues. More information on getting here by rail, road or river is available on our Getting here page.
We’re cash-free
Please note that we’re unable to accept cash payments across our venues.
Access
We’re working hard to remove barriers, so that our facilities and events can be accessible to as many people as possible.
All help points, toilets, performance and exhibition spaces at the Southbank Centre are accessible to all, as are the cafes, bars and restaurants. We also have excellent public transport links with step-free access.
There is step-free access to The Clore Ballroom, Level 2, Royal Festival Hall, via a ramp.
All information about booking wheelchair spaces, step-free access, blue badge parking, access maps and guides and other help available whilst you’re here, including details about our Access Scheme, can be found on our Access page.
Food & drink
Next to The Clore Ballroom is our Ballroom Cafe where you can grab a coffee and a piece of freshly made cake. Also on Level 2 of our Royal Festival Hall you can grab a slice of life by the Thames with drinks and freshly made pizza at our Festival Bar & Kitchen which opens out onto our Riverside Terrace.
From coffee to cocktails, filling favourites to fine dining, plus some of London’s best street food – it’s all here at the Southbank Centre.