Saturday 16th May 2 - 5pm

Surreal Salvage Specimens is a hands-on art workshop where participants transform discarded, forgotten, and found objects into imagined artifacts, curious specimens, and surreal relics. Drawing inspiration from surrealism, cabinets of curiosity, and natural history archives, this workshop invites you to invent new stories for things that no longer belong anywhere.

What You’ll Do

• Explore a curated collection of salvaged and found objects

• Select objects from the Scrap Space that spark curiosity

• Assemble a unique “specimen” using mixed-media techniques

• Name, label, and classify your creation with an imagined history

• Contribute to a temporary Lost & Found Archive exhibition (Optional)

No art experience required—just curiosity and imagination.

What You’ll Create

Each participant will produce:

• One original surreal specimen (assemblage or mixed media)

• A handwritten classification label

• A short fictional backstory or description

You’ll leave with an artwork and a new way of seeing overlooked things.

Who It’s For

• Artists and non-artists alike

• Curious adults and teens (16 and over)

• Anyone who loves strange objects, storytelling, or hands-on making

Themes Explored

• Loss, recovery, and transformation

• Creating meaning through imagination

• Archives, taxonomy, and invented histories

• Beauty in the discarded and overlooked

This workshop has now ended so do explore this gallery showcasing just some of our pieces made by workshop participants, created using donations found in the scrap store. 

Many pieces will be on display at The Lost and Found Museum exhibit, part of the Adur Art Trail 2026 at the Scrap Space, Open Weekends 6th - 21st June