the drawing shed’s portable drawing studio – the drawing shed – is a unique, custom-built pavilion, originally developed by artists Sally Barker and Sally Labern in 2009 that set up stall in different venues and opened up to reveal materials for drawing, including highly physical and choreographed group drawing in fully papered out spaces and rooms. The two artists worked with an architect, Mark Parsons of Studio Polpo, to create the mobile drawing studio. the drawing shed was constructed in the café garden of the YMCA so that residents could see it being built. Over that first summer, it was wheeled around the community and workshops were held in various locations to get people talking and drawing together. the drawing shed aimed to use drawing as a medium which, as a by product, increased community cohesion and inclusivity, creating a safe space for residents to pursue their own creativity, take creative risks and experience drawing in the broadest sense.
Until March 2018 Sally Labern and Bobby Lloyd continued using the mobile drawing shed with residents since early 2010 on the adjacent estates in E17, in drawing workshops, at community events, and as the venue for projects like SHELF and at Festival Here. The top of the shed has been removed since the early days, so that it can fit into one of the three studio garages that the project was been given use of by the CEO at Ascham Homes.
