Lost Skills: Momigami

About the Lost Skills sessions

REthink Nillumbik is hosting a series of free and low-cost workshops at the local Hurstbridge and Edendale repair cafes. At these sessions you can learn fantastic new skills to use at home, and help our shire to reduce waste and transition to a circular economy.

A circular economy is one that repairs, reuses and repurposes objects rather than throwing them away.

Lost Skills: Momigami

Momigami is a Japanese paperworking technique in which sheets of paper are repeatedly crumpled, twisted, and worked by hand until the fibres break down into a soft, material quite different from the rigid sheet you started with. The result is a transformed surface that looks more like fabric or leather.

As well as being beautifully unique, the technique has practical value as an upcycling method. Junk mail, brown paper bags, wrapping paper, newspaper, and packaging paper can all be used as raw material. What might have gone into the recycling bin becomes a usable creative material instead.

What you'll learn

This workshop will take you through the momigami process step by step. You'll learn how different papers respond to kneading and moisture, and how to control the texture and softness of your results. By the end of the demonstration, you'll have produced your own momigami paper ready to use.

Using momigami paper, you'll construct a small original artwork and begin to understand how momigami material behaves when cut, torn, layered, and composed. You'll leave with the beginnings of a unique creation along with the knowledge to continue the process independently at home using everyday paper waste.

This is a very simple process and no prior art experience is needed.

All materials are provided, though you're welcome to bring your own scrap paper to work with.

Paper before and after

When is it?

Saturday 13 June, from 10.30am to 12pm.

Who is it for?

Lost Skills sessions are open to everyone in Nillumbik. This session is great for anyone wanting to learn a handy new skill, save money by doing their own DIY, or support a circular economy by giving objects a new lease on life.

Additional info

• The session will be held indoors.

• We are committed to creating an inclusive and accessible event environment for all attendees. If you have accessibility or inclusion concerns regarding this event, contact us about how we can help.

The REthink Nillumbik program is funded by Nillumbik Shire Council and supported by Edendale Community Environment Farm and NECAH (Nillumbik Environment and Climate Action Hub). The project will be delivered by Going Green Solutions and supports Council's climate action goal of net-zero community emissions by 2035.