FREE – Everyone is welcome.

Join South Square and our friends at Fountain St Arts, The Watchmaker and How to Speak Hip for a gathering in our garden featuring mindful activities and music.

Mindfulness is the practice of being present and fully engaged in the current moment without distraction. It involves learning to pay attention to thoughts, emotions, and sensations in a non-reactive way which can help reduce stress and improve focus.

SCHEDULE:

It Ain’t That Deep: A Meditation Toolkit // Starting at South Square – 12pm

Join Amy Roller (Fountain Street Arts Project) as she shares her journey into mindfulness in a relaxed and accessible format. She’ll discuss what mindfulness means to her, and lead you through a very chilled, non-structured, mindful talk.

Mindful Walk Q&A // Starting approx 1pm

Following a very chill chat, join Amy on a mindful stroll along the Thornton Viaduct, exploring presence and any questions that arrive along the way.

Motanka dolls – dolls made out of fabric or yarn  // South Square 3pm – 6pm

Join artist Olha  Zhydetska in the garden for this drop-in workshop where you will learn to make your own Motanka Doll. They are one of the most ancient folk toys, symbolising women’s wisdom and serving as family amulets. The name of this type of folk art comes from the concept of “winding,” and the general appearance of such a doll is a figure of a person, typically a woman or a child, crafted from pieces of fabric or yarn. The body parts of such a doll were knotted and wound. 
The colours and knots used to create the doll represented specific symbols, forming a code through which the craftswoman conveyed her wishes for the child.

Easy Open Decks // 3pm onward // Garden

How to Speak Hip returns to host another laid-back open decks session in the sunny garden at South Square.

Bring a song along or just enjoy what others are sharing! Dust off your revered LP collection and listen to your playlist outside in the glorious setting under the sun (hopefully). Bring your mellow tempos and laid-back funk for a mindful vibe.

If you want to bring your own vinyls and have a go at DJ-ing, or just bring your own vinyls for the DJ to play – let us know to add you to the list. Email [email protected]

EXHIBITIONS

Where are you from originally? / Main Gallery

Running till Sunday 31st May

‘Where are you from originally?’ takes its title from a question that is often framed as casual curiosity, yet carries the weight of assumption, belonging, and exclusion.

For many, it is a question that refuses a simple answer. The artists in this exhibition respond not by offering fixed origins, but by revealing identity as layered, shifting, and deeply personal. Here, identity is explored through race, religion, language, memory, and lived experience. 

Curator Domino Panton-Oakley assembles Yorkshire-based artists of mixed global identities, all of which use identity as a theme in their work. ‘Where are you from originally?’ invites viewers to reflect on how questions of origin are asked, and who is expected to answer them. Who gets to belong without explanation, and who is repeatedly asked to justify their presence? Through textiles, sculpture, photography, moving image, and painting, the artists explore their relationship to this question and its significance to their own identities.

Townscapes by Caroline Rilatt // Plenty at the Square

Running till Sunday 31st May

Caroline is an artist based in Bingley known for her captivating detailed drawings of local townscapes. Inspired by her surroundings, she is drawn to, and loves to draw, the unique architecture and landmarks that shape the places around her. She likes to capture the contrast between old and new buildings that tell a story about a town’s history and its current day life.