Circulations - Clay Poetry Workshop with Olivia Chin and Nina Nervegna

Create a ceramic public artwork with artists Olivia Chin & Nina Nervegna

Get creative and be part of a permanent public art piece for Ascot Vale Library courtyard in a free three-part art workshop series led by multidisciplinary artists Olivia Chin and Nina Nervegna. Participants are welcome to attend one, two, or all three workshops.  

In this workshop series, participants will collaboratively create a large-scale ceramic tile façade that explores clay as a material for recording touch, language, memory, and place. The façade will be permanently displayed in the outdoor courtyard at Ascot Vale Library.  

Inspired by ancient clay tablets, fossils, Braille and systems of notation, you will explore different ways of recording your own marks, words, gestures and ideas in clay.  

No prior ceramic or art experience is needed. Bookings for the second and third workshop held in February 2027 will be open early January 2027.

This workshop is suitable for people aged 16+

Workshop Details 

Workshop 1: (all ages, Incinerator Gallery) Bring an object you like, choose one from the objects provided, or find something around the gallery grounds. Explore its surface through touch and press into the clay to leave an impression in your tile.  

Workshops 2: (16+, Ascot Vale Library) Write or bring a short poem or phrase that explores hope. Learn how to translate words into marks and patterns, drawing inspiration from shorthand notation and Braille.  

Workshop 3: (16+ Incinerator Gallery) Use special tools and Braille stamps to transcribe your translation from workshop 2 onto clay tiles.

Key Dates

• Saturday 28 November at 12pm – 2pm (Incinerator) 

• Saturday 6 February at 12pm - 2pm (Ascot Vale Library) 

• Sunday 7 February at 12pm - 2pm (Incinerator) 
   

What to bring & wear
  

• Bring a small object to explore in workshop 1, or choose from items we provide 

• Optional: bring a poem for workshop 

•  2, or write your own.  

• Wear clothes you don’t mind getting 

•  clay on  

• Light refreshments, materials and tools provided  

Accessibility 

Both Ascot Vale Library & Incinerator Gallery are fully accessible buildings.  

While the Incinerator accommodates accessibility, some activities may be on grass. We welcome participants with accessibility needs and encourage you to contact us in advance so we can plan accordingly. 

Breaks and rests available throughout session.
 

Drop in for one workshop or all three - bookings for the second and third workshop held in February 2027 will be open early January 2027.
 

Contact publicart@mvcc.vic.gov.au for any further questions or information 

Artist bio

Nina Nervegna and Olivia Chin are a collaborative duo investigating the intersections of design, ecology, and material memory across Naarm-Melbourne. Nina is a designer at Garner Davis Architects and co-runs Cellar, an experimental architectural project exploring prosthetic interventions for nonhumans in civic space.  

Olivia is a multidisciplinary artist whose work in sculpture, textiles, and painting examines temporality, material transformation, and the continual evolution of resources.  

Together they create works that archive and reimagine urban ecologies, addressing cycles of loss, displacement, and renewal through material experimentation and spatial storytelling.