The Bustling Society
The Bustling Society is a growing collection of free creative community projects that bring people together through art.
In a world that moves fast, we offer a gentle pause - a space where locals can gather, unwind, and reconnect with themselves and with one another. Here, creativity becomes a shared language. Whether you’re painting, drawing, or simply exploring materials with no pressure or expectations, each session invites you to switch off from the noise and settle into a relaxed rhythm.
It’s a place to meet neighbours, make new friends, and rediscover the joy of making something with your hands. Everyone is welcome.
Moments from The Bustling Society
Drawing Ground
Welcome to Drawing Ground – where big ideas begin with simple lines!
"Drawing Ground starts with drawing - it grows into a wider world of art, exploring new materials and creative approaches beyond just lines on paper."
Come and explore the fun world of drawing which is one of the most fundamental and powerful forms of art. Drawing Ground is a playful and inspiring drawing project that explores drawing as a tool for creative thinking, communication, and self-expression. Each session is full of creative activities designed to spark creativity, build drawing skills, and stretch your thinking - rooted in the experimental, curious spirit of contemporary art.
Drawing helps you focus, build confidence, and see the world in fresh and surprising ways. It’s also a great way to relax, explore your feelings, and make something that’s completely your own. Along the way, you will naturally strengthen focus, coordination, observation, and self-expression.
Drawing Ground is for anyone curious about the possibilities of drawing. Join us and see where your lines can take you. This will be a playground for imagination to explore, invent, and grow!
Blink Blue: Young Artists Studio
Blink Blue: Tiny Sparks, Big Ideas – Creative Kids’ Art Club
What Children Gain
Structure and freedom
Step-by-step skill building
A sense of progression and purpose
Confidence in their ideas and everywhere else
A collection of artworks that grows over the term
Welcome to Blink Blue, where creativity grows, confidence shines, and every child becomes an artist in their own way. Blink Blue is a structured art programme that builds skill and creativity over time!
Why Blink Blue?
Just 4 children per session. Small groups mean your child gets hands-on support, tailored to their pace
Half-termly programme, not one-off activities - sessions are thoughtfully connected
A calm, beautiful creative studio designed for focused and joyful making
A wide range of high-quality art materials
Exploring ideas from artists and current, popular exhibitions
Builds confidence and creative independence - beyond just art skills
Mini exhibition at the end of a full term
Each half-term is built around a creative theme that acts as the backbone of the entire programme. Rather than offering one-off, disconnected activities, every session is purposefully linked, guiding children through a gentle developmental journey.
Across the weeks, children explore the theme through a variety of art forms, techniques, and materials, and this creates a sense of progression, confidence, and continuity. Our small-group art sessions are designed for children who love to make, explore, and experiment. Each week, young artists dive into exciting explorations - from drawing and painting to printmaking, sculpture, and mixed media. Children will learn new techniques while developing their own creative voice and building a body of work they’ll be proud of.
At Blink Blue, we focus on the process of making art just as much as the final masterpiece. Children are encouraged to explore, make discoveries, and take creative risks - all in a supportive, inspiring studio environment. Whether your child is beginning their creative journey or preparing for future art scholarships, this is the perfect space to develop skills, imagination, and artistic confidence.
Inside the Studio
About the venue >>>
Welcome to The Blue Studio near Upper Norwood Recreation Ground in SE19. Tucked away in a leafy garden, the studio is a cosy, light-filled space where creativity blooms. With its relaxed atmosphere and natural light, it’s the perfect setting for small, friendly art sessions. Here, ideas flow easily, and every corner invites imagination.
About the artist / creative lead >>>
Heena Kim is a visual artist and founder of Beyond Space, an initiative that brings people together through participatory art and creative dialogue. Originally from South Korea, Heena earned her BFA and MFA in Fine Art in Seoul before moving to the UK to complete an MA in Fine Art at Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London.
Her work has been exhibited in solo and group shows both in the UK and internationally, and she has taken part in a range of artist residencies and public talks, including a residency at Vitrine Gallery, London.
With over 15 years of experience, Heena is deeply committed to collaborative and interactive approaches to art-making. She has developed and delivered a wide range of workshops, art and culture programmes, and educational projects - often working closely with other artists, communities, and cultural spaces. Her practice explores how shared creativity can open up new ways of seeing, thinking, and connecting.
Heena Kim with her workshop Abracadabra Room
“I loved the workshop today! The most exciting bit today was colouring the negative space and drawing/ tracing the shadow onto our paper.”
“All of it was my favourite part of the workshop”
PROGRAMMES
Beautifully Wrong: Spring Term 1, 2026
Get ready to break the rules - beautifully! This half-term, your child will dive into the joyful world of doing things “wrong” on purpose. We’ll flip ideas upside down, bend them sideways, and colour them in ways no one expects. Why can’t bananas be purple and spiky? What if you draw something without looking… or from the wrong end of the page?
In this playful adventure, children will explore wonderfully weird techniques that spark imagination, confidence, and brave creativity.
Choose Your Day:
Tuesdays
6 January 2026 – 10 February 2026
Wednesdays
7 January 2026 – 11 February 2026
Tiny Tracers (Y1-Y3): 3.40–4.50pm
Creative Shapers (Y4-Y6): 5.10–6.20pm
Where: The Blue Studio near Upper Norwood Recreation Ground in Crystal Palace, SE19 (Full address provided upon booking)
£120 (6 sessions, £20 per session), 10% Sibling discount is available - select the “Sibling Discount” option at checkout.
If your child joining mid-way, simply pay a pro-rated price based on how many sessions remain. No need to wait for a new term - your child can join anytime! To check availability or book a spot, please email us at info@beyond-space.com
We run a taster session (£15). Simply use the button below to book and we’ll be in touch to arrange a session.
Have any questions about Blink Blue? Feel free to email us.
Winter Garden 2025
Wreaths from Waste: A Creative Christmas Gathering
A shared, creative, sustainable experience: Bring your garden’s leftovers. We’ll provide the guidance and festive spirit!
This Christmas season, we invite you to slow down, gather together, and celebrate nature’s cycle in the most beautiful way - by turning what’s already in your garden into something new. This sustainable wreath-making workshop invites you to create something beautiful from your own garden waste.
Join us for a festive wreath-making session where creativity meets sustainability. Bring along your garden waste to share; twigs, ivy, pinecones, dried flowers, seed heads, or anything else that catches your eye outdoors. By using what you already have, we reduce waste, share inspiration, and make something truly unique. We’ll help you transform it into a stunning, one-of-a-kind Christmas wreath. Each creation tells its own story of the season, reflecting both the land and the hands that shaped it.
Alongside the wreath table, we’ll also have a creative drawing space, perfect for children and families to craft together. Gentle music and plenty of festive spirit will make this a cozy, creative space for all ages. Whether you come solo for some mindful making, or bring your family for a morning of shared creativity, you’ll leave with something truly meaningful memories of crafting together in community.
“Wreath as Sculpture”
We will encourage you to see the wreath not just as decoration, but as a three-dimensional artwork with composition, form, texture, and balance - how to create visual movement or contrast using natural materials, you will even allow for non-circular forms - maybe spirals, ovals, or free-form shapes - to invite experimentation.
FAQs
How much garden foliage do I need to bring to make a wreath?
Please bring enough to fill two full supermarket plastic bags for one wreath. You can cut foliage to any length, but ideally longer than 30 cm.Do I need to bring any materials?
Please bring secateurs, a pair of garden gloves, and your garden foliage. All other materials will be provided.Is there space for buggies?
Yes, there is space for buggies.Can children come along?
Absolutely! We encourage families to create together for some fun and quality time. Please note that children must be accompanied by an adult.I don’t have a garden. How can I get foliage?
No problem. You can collect fallen branches or leaves from a local park, or ask a friend or neighbour for some from their garden - and maybe invite them to join too. We’ll also have some foliage prepared for you to use.
Who: Everyone welcome
When: Tuesday 25 November 2025, 10.30am - 12.30pm
Where: The Hall at St John’s Upper Norwood, 1 Sylvan Rd, London SE19 2RX
Please bring secateurs, a pair of garden gloves, and your garden foliage. All other materials will be provided.
FREE, Booking is required
Or,
Pay As You Like – Support Future Free Events.
Winter Garden is free as part of our community project The Bustling Society inspiring and connecting the community through creativity. If you’re able, your contribution will go directly toward future free events at Beyond Space. It helps us continue bringing people together through art. Thank you very much.
More Christmas event from us >>>
Merry Makers Studio Would you like to decorate your home with a unique hand-made wreath and send Christmas greetings to your loved ones with your family’s very own artful cards? Get festive and creative together at Merry Makers Studio - a joyful drop-in art event where families can make, laugh, and get merry this Christmas!
Merry Makers Studio
Merry Makers Studio – Christmas Art Drop-In
Would you like to decorate your home with a unique hand-made wreath and send Christmas greetings to your loved ones with your family’s very own artful cards? Get festive and creative together at Merry Makers Studio - a joyful drop-in art event where families can make, laugh, and get merry this Christmas!
We transform a space into a colourful making studio inspired by Christmas spirit - exploring, experimenting, and enjoying the process as much as the final pieces you can bring home. Families will discover how tiny dots, shapes, textures, and prints can turn into joyful Christmas designs using pointillism and printmaking techniques.
Together, you’ll make your own Christmas cards and a wreath, with a mix of guided activities and lots of space to play, invent, and express your own style. You can drop in, move between a couple of art stations, and enjoy a relaxed, creative time that celebrates both art and family connection.
Each booking includes a Creative Pack:
A beautiful Christmas wreath to take home
10 x A5 cards to send festive cheer
5 x A6 cards for extra holiday messages
Each pack is designed for one family or a creative group to share. All materials are included. This is a drop-in event and stay as long as you like and enjoy creating together!
Who: Fun for all ages! Children are welcome but must be accompanied by an adult.
When: Saturday 22 November 2025, 2.45pm - 5.45pm
Where: The main church hall at St John’s Upper Norwood, 1 Sylvan Rd, London, SE19 2RX
Tickets
Special Offer: £20 per Creative Pack (was £25!), both online booking & at the door - subject to availability
Two separate tickets available at the door: join one or both fun activities
Card Making – £12
Wreath Making – £12
More Christmas Event from us >>>
Winter Garden 2025 A shared, creative, sustainable experience: Bring your garden’s leftovers. We’ll provide the guidance and festive spirit!
Bits & Pieces
Image: Woodland Tribe at the Tate Modern Turbine Hall 2022
Bits & Pieces – A Creative Adventure for All Ages
We’re delighted that Bits & Pieces will be part of the Crystal Palace Artists Open House 2025, highlighting the vital role of creativity in building and enriching the community!
Date: Saturday 27 September 2025
Time: 2–6 PM
Location: The Hall at St John the Evangelist, Sylvan Road, London SE19 2RX
Free entry – all materials provided
*Families are welcome. Please note that all children must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
Get ready for an afternoon of imagination, making, and joyful mess!
Bits & Pieces is a playful, hands-on art event for everyone - children, families, and curious creative minds. We’ll explore how to turn used, found, and left-over materials into something magical, meaningful, and completely new. Throughout the day, you’ll be invited to help build a Story Garden - a colourful, imaginative space that grows with every artwork added.
By joining Bits & Pieces, you’re not only enjoying a fun creative event, but also becoming part of the Crystal Palace Artists Open House festival - stepping into the art world as an artist yourself, and helping to shape the festival with your hands, imagination, and stories.
No experience needed. Just bring your imagination — we’ll provide the rest!
What You Can Do
Create your own masterpieces using our treasure trove of bits and pieces.
Collaborate with friends, family, or new faces to make something together.
Try different techniques from drawing and collage to making, playful repair, and more.
Transform the old into the new with sustainable, creative reuse
Why It’s Special
We believe that when people step into a welcoming creative space, barriers fall away. Art opens the door to connection, collaboration, and joy. This event is designed to be accessible, fun, and inspiring for all ages. By the end of the day, everyone’s creations will come together to form one big, colourful collective artwork - a celebration of creativity, community, and giving things a second life.
Please email us if you have any questions info@beyond-space.com
About Crystal Palace Artist Open house 2025 >>>
The 2025 Crystal Palace Artists’ Open House is a vibrant celebration of our community’s creative spirit. Now in its fifth year, the event offers a unique opportunity to connect with talented artists, designers, and makers who enrich SE19 and beyond with their work. The event is about more than just art; it’s about community. By taking part, you’re helping to sustain the creative energy that makes Crystal Palace such a special place.
instagram.com/artistsopenhouse.crystalpalace
www.crystalpalaceartistopenhouse.co.uk
The Wall We Wove
The Wall We Wove is a collaboration between Beyond Space and The Transformation Gallery to boost the creative community in South London and connect artists & community. Artists and neighbours are welcome to The Transformation Gallery in Brixton to co-create a drawing installation on the given walls.
This project invites artists and the local community to come together and co-create a large-scale drawing installation on the designated walls. It is an open, inclusive, and collaborative art experience that encourages participation from people of all ages, backgrounds, and skill levels.
The core idea is simple: art links us. By turning the creative process into a shared activity, we hope to inspire a stronger sense of connection and belonging within the community. Each line drawn, each idea shared, becomes part of a larger collective story—one that reflects the diverse voices and imaginations of those who live and create together.
Artists often bring new perspectives, spark imagination, and create space for dialogue. This project places artists in direct collaboration with the community, allowing for the exchange of inspiration in both directions.
We believe that involving the community in the artistic process makes art more meaningful and accessible. The walls become more than just a surface—they become a shared canvas that reflects the identity, dreams, and spirit of the people who helped bring it to life.
This co-created drawing installation is a living, growing expression of community energy, and a reminder that creativity thrives when shared. Together, we can transform the gallery space into a place of connection, imagination, and beauty.
Let’s create something inspiring—together!
Sessions are drop-in (booking is not required).
Families are welcome, but please ensure that your child is accompanied by an adult.
No experience or materials are needed. Just come and enjoy drawing!
Times / Dates
23-24 July 2025, 2pm- 6pm
Where The Transformation Gallery, Arch 18, Valentia Place, London, SW9 8PJ
£3 per person
About The Transformation Gallery >>>
The Transformation Gallery, established in 2024 and named after The Transformation Book by Fernando Pessoa, is a contemporary art gallery with a focus on experimental research based art, located in Brixton.
Call for Artists – Bits & Pieces
Image: Woodland Tribe at the Tate Modern Turbine Hall, 2022
We’re delighted to announce that Bits & Pieces will be part of the Crystal Palace Artists Open House 2025, highlighting the vital role of creativity in building and enriching the community!
Bits & Pieces is a collaborative art project bringing together a group of artists to create a participatory event for children and families, centred around the themes of used materials, creative reuse, and sustainability. Together, we’ll explore how to turn the discarded into something magical, meaningful, and new. Each artist will share their own practice, offering participants a chance to experience different techniques — from drawing to painting, making to playful repair. The families will contribute to a shared art piece, combining everyone's creative input into one joyful collective work.
This is a great opportunity to:
Co-create with other like-minded artists
Connect with the local community
Share your work in a supportive, playful environment
While this opportunity is not fee-paid, selected artists will have the chance to showcase their work during the event, with space available for displaying and selling artwork.
We're looking for open, collaborative artists who are excited to work with others and support children and families in hands-on making. If this sounds like you, please complete the application form and email info@beyond-space.com with 1–3 images of your work. We will contact artists by 15 August 2025.
Themes: reuse, transformation, playful repair, second lives
Expected participants: children and families
Date/ Time: Saturday 27 September 2025, 2–6 PM
Project location: The Hall at St John the Evangelist, Sylvan Road, London SE19 2RX
Application deadline: 10 August 2025 (midnight)
→ Apply here
We can’t wait to hear from you. Thank you!
Gather & Unfold
Gather & Unfold is a series of zine-making workshops for parents who may have experienced stress, overwhelm, or isolation and are seeking a moment for creativity, reflection and reconnection.
Led by artists Heena Kim and Tamsin Relly, participants are invited to ‘gather and unfold’, to come together within a peer-supported space to explore the myriad experiences of parenthood through creative play; the highs and lows, challenges and joys, poetry and pressures.
Participants will each produce a zine - a small self-published booklet including artwork and text - exploring their individual emotional journey, and using drawing, painting, collage or printmaking processes.
The Story Behind >>>
Juggling parenting and work is inevitable when we become a parent. What we have lost and what we have gained… There must be something gained, but unfortunately it is not easy to turn your head to the bright side when you feel like you are in a dark tunnel without an end light and instead focusing on what you are delaying and losing: career, ‘me’ time and social life… We would like to provide creative time for those seeking support and a social link.
No experience or materials are needed.
You may attend any number of the three workshops. We encourage joining multiple workshops to deepen the experience, but both single and multiple bookings are available, depending on your preference.
Workshops run during school hours to enable parents whose children are in daycare or school to attend.
The door will be open from 9.15am for refreshments & meeting the artists & other parents.
Please contact us info@beyond-space.com to cancel your booking if you are not able to attend, so that we can reopen the place for another parent.
Please note that the workshops are funded by Croydon Council and for Croydon residents only.
Times/ Dates
Gather & Unfold 1: Thursday, 19 June 2025, 9.30am - 11.30am
Gather & Unfold 2: Thursday, 26 June 2025, 9.30am - 11.30am
Gather & Unfold 3: Thursday, 3 July 2025, 9.30am - 11.30am
Where The Teal Room, Upper Norwood Library, 39 Westow Hill, Norwood, London SE19 1TQ
FREE, Croydon Residents Only
About the artists/ facilitators: Heena Kim and Tamsin Relly
A Previous Collaboration Project: Speaking Shadows
Heena Kim transfers daily events she observes into unique visual words which become narrative yet abstract images in her painting practice. Those daily events or feelings become the beginning of her painting journey and she uses her practice as a tool to record these ongoing experiences and suggest new approaches to them. She often changes the scale of the initial images to hover between representation and abstraction, or pick up on specific parts to emphasise or repeat as a visual character.
Kim is a South Korean born artist living and working in London. Her works have been exhibited in the UK and internationally through solo and group exhibitions since completed her MA in Fine Art at Central Saint Martins (UAL) in 2008, including A mark is a river at The Handbag Factory, In Conversation; freedom of distance, space and time at AMP Gallery in London, All S-He Ever Wanted To Be at Galleria M in Kolkata, India and Waving Stories at Amidi Gallery in Seoul. Kim also participated in artist residencies, talks, workshops and writing at Vitrine Gallery, V22 Collection in London, Korean Foundation for International Cultural Exchange in Seoul, foundation B.a.d in Rotterdam. With her interest in collaboration and participatory projects, She has been working with other artists to create interactive projects; Site Specific Squat and In Conversation and ArtDegree Studio.
Tamsin Relly’s multi-disciplinary practice explores the reciprocal relationship we have with our planet’s ecology and the ways in which we find connection with the living world. Recent projects consider the migration of plants and the preservation of botanical environments through conservation, urban parks and memory – be it personal, collective or held within the land. Research has led her to diverse locations including Svalbard in the Arctic Circle; boreal forests in Hämeenkyrö, Finland and the Eden Project in Cornwall.
South African-born and London-based, Relly received an MA in Fine Art at City & Guilds of London Art School in 2011. Her work has been exhibited and collected widely in the UK and internationally. It has been included in group shows at Sid Motion Gallery, Informality Gallery, Oliver Projects, OHSH and TJ Boulting in London and is held in the permanent collections of the National Maritime Museum, Imperial Health Charity and Simmons Contemporary in London. Solo exhibitions include: Forest Memory, Brocket Gallery, London (2017), Imagining the Amazon, House of St Barnabas, London (2016) and Jungle Snow, The Place Downstairs, London (2014). Relly has received two commissions from Hospital Rooms to make site specific work for mental health units in the UK. Residencies include: RE·THINK: Environment, National Maritime Museum, London; Hogchester Arts, Dorset and Pocantico, Rockefeller Brothers Fund, New York.
The Bustling Society >>>
The Bustling Society is a series of community projects to boost creative energy and connection though art and culture in our community.
Outdoor Drawing
Helping to enrich art education in the school and to raise school funding, we are excited to provide an outdoor drawing workshop in the Edible Garden at Rockmount Primary School in May as part of Delightful Spring.
Children will have a creative outdoor time to awaken their senses with the fresh air, the sun, the surrounding nature and observational drawing. Learning mark-making and drawing techniques, they will spot forms, colours and textures of Spring plants and catch them to express in their art.
This fun-filled experience blends outdoor exploration, hands-on drawing, and creative play. Perfect for adventurers with a love for nature and drawing!
All proceeds will be donated to Rockmount Primary School.
Outdoor Drawing
Thursday 22 May 2025
The Edible Garden
Rockmount Primary School
More details will be sent out by the school.
Floral Collage
Spring is Sprung! Join us to get creative and make a colourful floral collage inspired by this beautiful time of year. In this drop in workshop, led by illustrator Alice Alderman and painter Heena Kim, we will explore materials, make our own collage papers and create a finished masterpiece to take away and display at home.
All materials will be provided. Just come along and join in! Book in advance or just pay on the day. All ages welcome. This is the perfect event for adults to take part in together with their children or simply to take some time out for yourself.
All children must be accompanied by an adult.
Drop in anytime
Adult £14, Child £6, FREE 0-3 years for paying on the day
Adult £12, Child £3, FREE 0-3 years for booking in advance
Friday, 16 May 2025, 2.30pm - 4.30pm
Where: West Norwood Library Community Room, 1-5 Norwood High St, Norwood, London SE27 9JU
Delightful Spring
Delightful Spring is all about enhancing the new season with creativity. Flowers are blooming and tree buds are appearing on bare branches. Soon our surroundings will be full of colour. It looks like spring has definitely sprung! Time to celebrate the arrival of Spring.
Join us this May for festivities; take part in creative workshops and art activities to awaken your senses. Delightful Spring is to shape the experience of multi-sensory with all of the senses of vision, touch and shapes, to experiment with various elements such as colour and texture.
Red Goes Green: Be brave to go for opposite colours, extreme shapes or wrong textures! Small to big, red to green and smooth to tough… Explore visual elements of in-season vegetables with opposite reactions to construct an odd dreamlike still life and stimulate your senses with unusual paths of expression.
1: Monday, 12 May 2025, 4.30pm - 5.40pm (KS1: Y1-Y2), £15
2: Monday, 19 May 2025, 4.30pm - 5.40pm (KS2: Y3-Y6), £15
Where: Artist’s Studio in SE19; The Blue Studio (Full address will be provided when booked)
May Half-Term:
3: Tuesday, 27 May 2025, 10am - 11.10am (KS1: Y1-Y2), £15
4: Tuesday, 27 May 2025, 11.30am - 12.40pm (KS2: Y3-Y6), £15
Where: The Teal Room, Upper Norwood Library, 39 Westow Hill, Norwood, London SE19 1TQ
Floral Collage: Spring is Sprung! Join us to get creative and make a colourful floral collage inspired by this beautiful time of year. In this drop in workshop, led by illustrator Alice Alderman and painter Heena Kim, we will explore materials, make our own collage papers and create a finished masterpiece to take away and display at home.
All materials will be provided. Just come along and join in! Book in advance or just pay on the day. All ages welcome. This is the perfect event for adults to take part in together with their children or simply to take some time out for yourself.
All children must be accompanied by an adult.
Drop in anytime
Adult £14, Child £6, FREE 0-3 years for paying on the day
Adult £12, Child £3, FREE 0-3 years for booking in advance
Friday, 16 May 2025, 2.30pm - 4.30pm
Where: West Norwood Library Community Room, 1-5 Norwood High St, Norwood, London SE27 9JU
Outdoor Drawing at Rockmount Primary School: Helping to enrich art education in the school and to raise school funding, we are excited to provide an outdoor drawing workshop in the Edible Garden at school in May as part of Delightful Spring.
Children will have a creative outdoor time to awaken their senses with the fresh air, the sun, the surrounding nature and observational drawing. Learning mark-making and drawing techniques, they will spot forms, colours and textures of Spring plants and catch them to express in their art.
This fun-filled experience blends outdoor exploration, hands-on drawing, and creative play. Perfect for adventurers with a love for nature and drawing! All proceeds will be donated to Rockmount Primary School.
22 May 2025 at the Edible Garden. More details will be sent out by the school.