Papier Mâché, Volume 1 - Construction (Classical Technique)**

In this classical papier mâché session, we will focus solely on the traditional use of paper and recycled objects without introducing other mediums. This class covers the foundational techniques of constructing strong, durable forms using paper layers and recycled materials. You'll learn how to build armatures, layer paper, and create solid structures. Whether your goal is to craft sculptures or models, this session provides the essential skills for transforming simple materials into volumetric, three-dimensional forms.

(Classical Technique)**

Continuing from Volume 1, this session focuses on the sculptural possibilities of classical papier mâché, using only paper and recycled materials. Participants will learn how to shape, carve, and refine their constructions, facing the finishing process with pulp and/or in layers to achieve smooth, detailed surfaces. We’ll also cover advanced texturing and how to bring your sculptures to life with a meticulous finishing process, ensuring durability and refinement in your work.

In this class, we will explore the art of large-scale paper installations, teaching you how to create immersive, transformative artworks using paper. You’ll learn techniques for working with scale and volume, and how to design site-specific installations that engage with space, light, and texture. These techniques form the foundations of large-scale paper art, perfect for galleries, public spaces, or personal environments.

This class introduces the basics of weaving with paper, blending traditional textile techniques with the unique properties of paper. Participants will learn how to select materials, prepare strips for weaving, and create intricate patterns and textures. The result is a tactile fusion of craft and fine art, offering new possibilities for using paper as a woven medium.

In this session, we’ll explore how wax can transform paper by adding strength, texture, and transparency. Participants will experiment with techniques such as dipping, brushing, and layering wax onto paper surfaces. Additionally, we will cover the use of wax for mold making, introducing an experimental process for casting paper forms. This class encourages exploration of the ways in which wax can complement and enhance paper, opening up new creative pathways.

This class explores the exciting intersection of paper and clay, where participants will experiment with combining these two materials to create hybrid forms. You will learn to cast and mold paper using clay as a form, or vice versa, finding balance between fragility and durability. This class provides techniques for fusing the organic qualities of both materials, offering an innovative approach to sculpture.

This deeply conceptual class focuses on using paper to explore personal identity, memory, and emotional landscapes. Through layering, cutting, and shaping, participants will develop a personalized topography that represents their internal worlds. Paper becomes a metaphor for skin, memory, and identity in this introspective class, encouraging participants to push the limits of expression through paper.

In this comprehensive session, we delve into the essential materials of paper: pulps and fibers. A special focus will be given to cellulose, examining its qualities and its critical role in papermaking. Participants will learn how to process and work with various pulps, from natural fibers like cotton to recycled materials. The session offers an in-depth look at how to manipulate these fibers to achieve different textures, strength, and finishes in your handmade paper.

This additional volume explores the world of plants as a source for creating paper. We will study the properties of plant fibers, how to harvest and prepare them for papermaking, and their relationship to the natural world. This class focuses on plant-based fibers, combining traditional wisdom with contemporary experimentation to create sustainable, plant-based papers.

This class introduces the transformation of fabric into handmade paper, exploring the balance between paper and felt making. Participants will learn how to break down textiles and repurpose fabric fibers into sheets of paper, achieving different textures and thicknesses. By understanding the scale between papermaking and felt-making techniques, you'll gain insight into how fibers can be manipulated across different craft practices.

This session bridges fashion and paper art, showing participants how to design and construct wearable paper costumes. We will cover the structural considerations of paper as a medium for fashion, emphasizing how to balance fragility and durability. This class is perfect for those interested in creating conceptual designs for theater, performance art, or fashion shows, pushing the limits of what can be achieved with paper in costume design.

Building Realistic Scale Models from Paper (Foundations of Paper Installations)**

Learn the fundamentals of maquette making with paper, creating realistic scale models that tell a story. From architectural models to intricate dioramas, participants will explore the principles of building miniature worlds using paper. This session also serves as a foundation for large-scale paper installations, teaching the skills necessary to design, construct, and scale up your ideas for larger, immersive artworks.

Each year, Paper Lab Berlin will invite a guest artist to present their work and experiments in the field of paper. This exclusive session offers members the chance to engage with a different artistic perspective, exploring unique approaches to paper art from established practitioners. It’s a wonderful opportunity to learn from experts and broaden your understanding of paper as an artistic medium.

(Includes Popular 3D Paper Making & Casting Workshop Content)

This class introduces the latest techniques in mold making for paper, covering both basic and advanced methods. Participants will learn to create multi-part molds, layer molds, and experiment with casting paper into complex shapes. This session includes up-to-date content from our most popular workshops, the 3D Paper Making & Casting Workshop, ensuring you have access to cutting-edge techniques in this evolving art form.

Explore the interaction between paper and light in this experimental class. You’ll learn techniques for cutting, folding, and shaping paper to create luminous, light-reactive forms. The session includes methods for designing light sculptures, lanterns, and installations that play with shadow, reflection, and translucency, adding a new dimension to your paper art.

Delving Deep into the Sewing Machine Lab (Includes Popular Workshop Content)

This advanced class takes a deep dive into using the sewing machine as a tool for paper manipulation. You’ll explore complex stitching, layering, and perforation techniques that create intricate, textured surfaces on paper. With up-to-date content from our renowned Sewing Machine Lab Workshop, this session offers a comprehensive look at combining textile techniques with paper for unique, innovative artworks.

From its symbolic role in ancient paper cache and papier-mâché practices to its contemporary presence in collage art and large-scale installations, tape has always mediated between fragility and strength, preservation and change. In this masterclass, we will turn to tape as both subject and medium, investigating its transparency, resistance, and layering to create form. We will move between the surface and the sculptural, between collage and structure, exploring how tape can serve not only as a tool but as a language of its own.