A Common Thread

This Spring, we celebrate a hands-on relationship with materials in an exhibition of process-driven work by the students, staff and graduates of Central Saint Martins. We aim to return to ancestral knowledge, the participatory and the physical by examining ‘A Common Thread’.

Situated within global conversations on materials and making, this student-produced exhibition unveils a showcase of craft processes and material experimentation rooted in the political and the environmental.

A Common Thread presents student, staff and graduate practitioners whose work is grounded in a sustained and physical engagement with materials; with ideas flourishing from a place of ethical, collaborative and community-informed practice.

While creativity expands into digital and augmented worlds, craft and tactility remains central within the contemporary creative space. The exhibition navigates this through the diverse disciplines of Central Saint Martins: from those engaged with the preservation of ancestral practices, to those experimenting with emerging technologies.

Across more than 30 displays, public programming, interactive sculpture and written matter, we are invited to reflect on the origins, techniques and responsibilities connected to these materials and methods.

Public events programme

Free drop in sessions. Visit the links to find out more or if you'd like to book a place.

Sundays: 1, 15, 29 March, 12, 26 April 12-2pm
London Lace Club residency: London Lace Club will be hosting their regular Sunday meetings from the Gallery. Visitors can come and find out more about the club and book a place on 2 beginners workshops. Details coming soon.

Thursday 2 April 11.30am-1.30pm
Family Crafts with the UAL Parents and Carers Network

• Card stitching with Cecily Allwright: design, stitch or weave your own colourful pattern using thread and a special cardboard frame.
• Gift making with Hannah Eagles: make a special collage to gift someone you care about.

Saturday 11 April 1-3pm
Mend and Repair weekend: Living Lines workshop.
Hosted by the exhibiting artist Charlie Butterfield in collaboration with Lifefabs at the Lethaby Gallery. Participants will be invited to create their own 'living line' design, by setting up a Wheat Seed Growing Kit.

Saturday 11 April 3-5pm
Mend and Repair weekend: GAIA Seed Bomb Needle Felting. Learn, experiment and create in this interactive crafting workshop by Alice Burns, felting seed bombs out of waste wool, filled with seed species.

Sunday 12 April 1-3pm
Mend and Repair weekend:  stitching, darning and repairing. Anna Tuhus leads this workshop based around 6 basic hand sewing stitches. Learn darning, mending and patchwork techniques for textile and garment repairs and create personal motifs and patterns.

Opening times

Wednesday-Friday: 11am–6pm
Saturday-Sunday: 12–5pm
Evening Reception: Thursday 26 February, 6-9pm [open to the public]

How to get to the Lethaby Gallery.

The gallery is closed

• Mondays and Tuesdays.
• Easter weekend, 3-6 April 2026.
• The Lethaby Gallery will be closed for a private event until 3.30pm on Thursday 5 March. We’ll reopen later in the afternoon following the event.

Student team

Curation: Jin Liang
Spatial Design: Jerry Lin, Brandon Chang, Farida Doss, Charles Ryan Honza
Communication: Fiona Yu, Lillie Elston
Graphic Design: Charlie Butterfield, Edward Pryke
Event Programme: Marina Meo, Sanna Claesson, Hannah Eagles, Cecily Allwright