On 21 November, Space Leap will be hosting their first edition of the Christmas Craft Market at the Sapumal Foundation from 10 a.m. onwards.
Space Leap and LEAP by Mihiri Founder Mihiri Devendra shared that the event is set to be an interesting mix of traditional Sri Lankan artisans and international makers based in the island coming together for a one-of-a-kind Christmas market.
She shared that guests can expect an amazing range of products from books, baskets, accessories, homeware, jewellery, art, collectibles, food, and beverages to get you started on your Christmas shopping with meaningful gifts that tell a story.
The venue, Sapumal Foundation at Barnes Place, is a space that has been dedicated for artists to find solace and express their creativity. Managed by Space Leap, the space offers opportunities for artisans and artists from around the island to come together and connect.
Devendra shared that Space Leap aims to create an opportunity for makers to meet people within an interesting space connected to Colombo’s creative history, stating that what they’ve done is provide an avenue where creatives can come enjoy the beautiful gardens of the Sapumal Foundation and get inspired through art, crafts, and creativity.
Guests who make it to the market will also be guided on a curated tour of the Sapumal Foundation’s incredible gallery of art by the 43 Group, courtesy of the Foundation’s guardian and curator Rohan De Soyza.
Devendra shared with all their good intentions, considering the prevailing unpredictable situation in the country, they are remaining hopeful to have the event on 21 November, although they had originally hoped to have it on 14 November, which also happens to be Deepavali; and so they hoped to have a celebration in light of the festival with some fireworks. However, Devendra shared that the event would not be any less spectacular.
She added that there will also be a children’s painting workshop with handmade wooden elephant figurines taking place between 11 a.m. and 12 noon; the perfect opportunity for kids to get creative and make a special Christmas gift for someone.
She said that one of the primary reasons they chose to have this event is to provide some ease to those artists and artisans in the island who have had to suffer during this pandemic; to allow them a space where they can market their smaller-scale homegrown products. She said that while other places do exist for similar purposes, many participants have not been paid upfront and often work on a commission basis and as such, have had to suffer some losses.
Devendra also shared that their space is usually utilised by university students studying arts, architecture, and engineering who come and study their gallery and collection. However, these activities too have been hampered due to the current situation and students do not visit the venue anymore. She said that they hope that as time goes on things would soon change.
Additionally, she stated that courtesy of Space Leap, guests can also participate in a number of workshops that are periodically run at the venue. As a jewellery maker and designer herself, curated classes for jewellery designing and making are always available with a number of other crafts; an example being the most recent palmyra weaving workshop, where they had wonderful ladies who came all the way from Vavuniya to instruct the participants.
For all this and more, if you are creative or are looking to be amongst creative things, then it’s probably in your favour to lock down your calendar for a special Saturday of crafts, culture, and creativity at the Christmas Craft Market.
If you are an artisan and you wish to register, you can call the following number for table space (Rs. 5000) or tent space (Rs. 8, 000-10,000). For more information, contact 0777 301 166.