The Art of Gifting: Making through Listening

This workshop invites DU staff to connect through attentive listening, turning what is heard into a visual gift for one another. Working in randomly paired groups of two, participants will engage in a guided conversation centered on one key question: “What would you like the art in your office to depict?”. The workshop will guide us to fill in what is missing, what is not there, exploring our needs and desires. Anything from a landscape to a loved one, from qualities and arrangements to moods and feelings may be called upon to be interpreted through this exchange.
The aim is to translate another person’s ideas, moods, and preferences into a visual artwork (collage) not through direct illustration, but through thoughtful interpretation. Each participant will create a collage as a gift for their partner, to be framed and displayed in their workplace.

Organisers
Georgia Kotretsos, visual artist and founder of THE ΤΕΛΟΣ SOCIETY, and current IAS Fellow
Dr Karolina Nieberle, Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology
Dr Janey Zheng, Associate Professor in the Department of Management

Participating

• This workshop is open to all. We explicitly welcome participants across schools, faculties, and organizational roles.
• No previous art experience is required. Rather than about aesthetic values, the workshop is about working together in the workplace, fostering connection, and practicing care through creativity

Workshop Outline

• Arrival & Welcome (15 min): Refreshments and informal introductions
• Conversation (25 min): In pairs, explore your partner’s visual preferences — subject matter, colors, format, atmosphere, compositional elements, or historical references.
• Collage Creation (90 min): Using provided materials (magazines, glue sticks, scissors, white paper), create a collage for your partner based on their responses.
• Framing & Reflection (20 min): Ready-made frames will be provided for all completed works. Each pair will then fill out a brief reflection form addressing
• Please bring your laptop, phone, or iPad with you to complete the short reflection survey upon the completion of the workshop.

All works will be signed by their creators, marking authorship and care. In this way, everyone who signs up will enter the room as a participant and leave as an author and creator with agency—someone who has practiced the art of gifting through attentive listening in their workplace community.