Enjoy time to experience craft as a meditation and meet other travellers, locals and residents of Bali. Get lost in bamboo!!
Crafting triggers our brain to release natural endorphins… It’s interesting to note the correlation between depression and anxiety levels in cultures where manual skills are practiced with those which have forgotten these “pass-times” and their importance in our societies – not only for our cultural identity and sense of belonging with our community but also in the physiological effect on our brain and nervous system.
Through crafting, we can relearn creative spontaneity while snapping off the intellectual hook that keeps us in the ‘realm of the mind’ and over-thinking… Regaining the sense of inner-being; just Being present; Hanging out – that’s what I love about bamboo… Working with it helps bring me into my body (feeling-body) and presence (state-of-being) naturally… immersed with natural materials and feeling connected with the environment – breathing the Art, Greenery and Warmth of the Bali atmosphere.
Our Craft Workshops are a space for sharing skills and culture – with some regular topics and also special workshops from time to time. With tailored topics from Bamboo Jewellery to Vertical Gardens, Model Cars, Cutlery, Backpacks, Lamps, and Doll Houses to specialty Weaving Workshops. Our workshops are inclusive of all ages and abilities (children under 6 must be accompanied by a responsible adult). In these workshops you will Learn cutting, splitting and shaping the material and about the unique grain of bamboo. Chill productively, and be your own “chemical factory”; Find your own Zen learning to CRAFT with Bamboo…
Pre-purchase Workshop GIFT CARDS HERE at a SPECIAL RATE – You can GIFT and attend any time 3 years forward. We are an all-abilities creative and inclusive community space. Please let us know of any special needs requirements you may have.
Want to know more?
Reusable Bamboo Cutlery – Spork (spoon/fork) Workshop
Get to know the texture and grain of bamboo – and gain an understanding of how to work with it.
Bamboo can replace plastic in so many ways… and there are SO many items we can craft from bamboo. In this workshop, we will do our part to reduce our own plastic footprint by making our own Reusable Bamboo Cutlery Utensil and Cup.
Starting with a Tour of our Bamboo House/ Sky-Kubu, fresh Jamu (a herbal turmeric drink) and delightful Balinese Snacks, we will introduce some applications of bamboo in Culinary Applications… and then Sketch some design ideas for our own (Spoons and Sporks). We will demonstrate tool safety and then start our hand-crafting with manual tools and carving techniques to chisel curvature into our bamboo designs. We will also use some mechanical technology to ‘speed up the process’.
Through honing our pieces, we will get a feel for this material and learn about the grain and nature of bamboo itself and activate our meditative right-brain… and become immersed in this natural endorphin-releasing activity. Next we will make our cups – using a hand saw and basic knife skills to take off the skin and then refine the taper of the “lip” of our cups – using traditional bamboo carving knives and sanding, and; finally apply a vegan food-safe oil coating (FDA Approved) and/or beeswax to seal our creations.
At the end of the workshop, you will have your own unique piece of travel-safe ultralight cutlery and a reusable cup (or two)! ! ! Group bookings, mobile workshops and special needs assistance available
See Airbnb for dates and availability and book directly or with us>>> HERE
Bamboo Jewellery Workshop
In true Upcycled fashion, this workshop utilises the offcuts and “trash” from our bamboo house construction to illicit the beauty of bamboo on another level…. We will demonstrate how the bamboo can be split along the grain and how the texture varies through the “wood” – practically the opposite to tree wood (bamboo is actually a giant grass). During this workshop we will take a look at a range of jewellery pieces and come up with ideas to define your style and sketch your design idea if needed … and then CREATE: Shaping with a hand saw, chisels and a sanding wheel; Next using a hand drill and natural cord or wire and stainless fittings, we will string our pieces; and, Lastly we will seal/polish with Beeswax or Tung oil (vegan option) and finally roll ourselves in some bamboo sawdust and make human dhupa (incense)… Just kidding… We could take all our shavings and offcuts and light the cob oven which would be more fun! (Let us know if you would like to make pizza at the end of your workshop). Book here through AirBNB, Email Us, or Whatsapp through the link (above)…
Family/Group Workshops:
Private bookings are available for family/small group workshops. With a variety of topics, feel free to discuss what you’d like to learn with us so we can tailor-make your workshop to your specific needs and create an activity for you to do together… Enjoy watching kids discover their creativity and make their own toys (see our Kids Workshops also) – sometimes it helps to have mum and/or dad involved so they can continue their exploration at home so we host these small group/family workshops to really give one-on-one attention to detail and technique for making one’s own toys/creations.
Kids Workshops and Mobile Classes
Being able to make one’s own toys with ones own hands is a satisfaction kids can experience in our Kids Workshop Program here at Freyr’s Bamboo Sky-Kubu in Denpasar. We also offer mobile sessions for groups, schools or events (regular program and one-off event bookings available). The program aims to encourage and enable kids to develop their bamboo crafting skills and enable them to get confident with working with bamboo and to be able to create their own design and functional pieces incorporating recycled and up-cycled items from the home/local environment with a focus on zero-waste innovation. We work with kids individually/in small groups to make craft and also creative projects such as playgrounds and other creative endeavours. (See More)
We can host classes at your school/event – get in touch to discuss your needs.
Individual Tutoring Sessions and Product Design
We offer individual sessions to explore bamboo creatively and to learn skills you can use to develop your own bamboo designs. Complete the form below to make an enquiry…
Bamboo Building Programs – Craft to Construction: Traditional Balinese Design and Building
Bamboo Creative Bali 