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DARCH (Umulkhayr Mohamed and Radha Patel) invite young children and their guardians to drop in to make an insect of their choice.

Saturday 21st November 2026

Family Session(Adults must accompany children)

Please note:A small deposit is required to secure your space in the workshop. This deposit can be refunded on the day after attending the workshop or kindly left as a donation to Mission Gallery to support our programme.

This is a messy activity, so please wear clothes you don’t mind getting messy. Please bring along a small tupperware or container to take home your insect.One Ticket covers a space for a family / group of 4.

Time Slots:

• 10:30- 11:15
• 11:30-12:15
• 13:45- 14:30
• 14:45- 15:30

Artist bio

DARCH is the collaborative practice of artists Umulkhayr Mohamed and Radha Patel. Their work seeks creative ways to articulate care-centred practices for people of colour, with an approach grounded in solidarity and liberation.DARCH (Umulkhayr Mohamed and Radha Patel) invite young children and their parents, carers or guardians to drop in to make an insect of their choice or reimagine a new one that lives underground. We’ll be working with air dry clay and other materials and together, we’ll learn about the important work that insects do to keep our world living and breathing.

Outline:

The session aims to connect with young children of different backgrounds about insects and their important role in decomposing. Insect making workshop with DARCH Collective ‘Heaven in the Ground,’ is an audio story and sculptural installation which honours our relationships to nature, our human and more than human ancestors (plants, weathers, soils, water, insects and bedrock) and asks important questions about the work that insects do to keep our world living and breathing.When anyone dies, different insects – flies, maggots, beetles, worms – work hard to decompose them or slowly break them down. In the circle of life, this process is very important for nourishing the ground and feeding the soil, so that new plants can grow and continue to feed everyone who is living.

Prompts for conversationsWhat / who lives underground?What jobs do they do?Why do you think this is important?Why do some people think insects are ‘icky’ or ‘dirty’?

—Due to our venue’s capacity, spaces are limited. If you book onto one of our workshops we would ask you to honour your commitment to attend.We aim for our workshops to be as accessible as possible, but would ask that you make a donation on the day if you can.

Please consider contributing if you are able to support the future workshop and education programmes at Mission Gallery.

For further information please contact

Megan Leigh, Learning & Engagement Coordinator, on 01792 652016 or email megan@missiongallery.co.uk

Safiyyah Altaf, Outreach Creative, on 01792652016 or email Outreach@missiongallery.co.uk

Materials are provided, limited places, booking is essential. Please inform us of any access requirements, allergies or medical conditions.Access is by one-step entry from pavement level through our main entrance.The workshops will take place in the gallery and education space located on the first floor of the gallery.Due to building limitations access to the first floor education space is via steep stairs.Staff are on hand to provide assistance if needed.