September 2025 Creative Residency with WSA
This September, Riba Rocks was proud to welcome six creatives from the Winchester School of Art (University of Southampton) for a three-week Creative Residency in Conservation, Sustainability in Art Practice, and Catalan Culture. The group included two fashion designers, three fine artists, and one fashion management student and their activities and research during their stay will form part of the Riu d’art Street Fest.
Exploring Place, Culture, and Sustainability:
The programme combined cultural visits — from the Ice House and Santa Madrona Hermitage to the Riu d’art Open Air Gallery, Sebes Nature Reserve, Benifallet Caves, Corbera d’Ebre Poble Vell, the Giant Bench, and the Flix hydroelectric dam — with intensive workshops in art and design practice.
Practical sessions with resident artist Sarah Misselbrook encouraged the group to work with natural and found materials from The Valley (the off-grid olive finca) to create sculptural bundles and object art compositions. Using homemade charcoal from olive tree prunings, students developed observational drawings through a range of methods, including non-dominant hand sketching, sensory drawing, and collaborative timed exercises.
They also took part in a cyanotype printing course with artist Roser Gay, experimenting with natural objects and photographic negatives, exploring how sustainable materials can transform through light exposure into unique works — culminating in the production of bespoke tote bags.
Collaboration, Contribution, and Reflection:
The students contributed beyond the studio too, volunteering with the Grup de Natura Freixe Association at the Riba-roja lagoon, helping to clear invasive plants to protect biodiversity and species survival.
The residency also included artist talks at Zona Líquida rural co-working centre, with presentations focusing on sustainability, creative process, and responding to place and environment. Residents engaged in tutorials, group critiques, and ultimately produced a group manifesto for WSA @ Riba Rocks — a collective reflection of their experiences and artistic journey.
Celebrating New Connections:
This residency brought together diverse practices — from fashion to fine art — in a shared exploration of environment, community, and creativity. The students embraced the challenges of working in new contexts and out of their comfort zones, developing resilience, curiosity, and innovative approaches to sustainable practice.
We celebrate their openness, energy, and dedication throughout the three weeks, and we thank WSA, University of Southampton, for making this possible. As with all residencies at Riba Rocks, the legacy of this experience lies not only in the works produced but in the connections made — between people, place, and practice.
