A workshop exploring beloved fairy tales whilst creating magical amulets.
Not Just Simple, But Golden
- Date:
20 Apr 2025
- Age restrictions
- 6+
Suitable for children aged 6+ and adults. Children under 14 must be accompanied by an adult.
Each guest, including children, requires individual registration. Drop-ins welcome, subject to availability.
To participate, please send an email to international@ges-2.org stating the number of tickets you require, the age of the child, and how you learned about the event. English translation will be available only between 13:00 and 14:00.
T
The Golden Fish, The Golden Cockerel, “A golden chain strung round it...,” Koschei’s hoarded gold—in the realm of fairy tales, golden objects transcend mere monetary value to become magical artefacts of immeasurable worth. These talismans enable heroes to transform, protect them from danger, and ward off death—in short, they help achieve the impossible.
Photo: Vadim Shtein
Magical narratives often migrate between cultures, which is why various enchanted golden objects appear in legends worldwide. One readily finds tales of heroes acquiring golden combs, rings, pots or slippers, encountering golden horses and birds, embarking on quests for golden apples, or discovering golden kingdoms.
Led by artist Olga Bozhko, workshop participants will discuss their favourite fairy tales and craft magical amulets using brass embossing—working with a copper-based alloy that bears a golden hue. The session culminates with participants arranging their talismans on velvet cushions, photographing their works, and collectively crafting a new fairy tale.
Workshop leader
Olga Bozhko — a graduate of the Moscow School of Artistic Crafts (specialising in textile painting), the Russian Institute of Theatre Arts (GITIS), and the Joseph Backstein Institute of Contemporary Art. She won the Debut theatre arts prize for Best Stage Design (2001) and is a member of the VGLAZ artists’ community. Olga’s practice centres on traditional crafts, particularly textiles and knitting. She transforms digital and virtual imagery, such as pixel art, into handcrafted works.
This workshop is part of the 2024 ColLab programme at the Vaults Centre for Artistic Production, alongside K147-13 with Sania Sazhenskaya and Reality Breaches with Ekaterina Gerasimenko.