CÓRTEX FRONTALArtist residency

Workshops

Coming up

Sourdough workshop

About the tutorDeniz Bulgur is a Turkish-German neuroscientist who grew up in Germany in a Turkish household where food was a language of its own. Alongside research on the brain, Deniz explores in the kitchen how people have kept and made food for centuries: pickling, fermenting, drying and slow-cooking traditional dishes. Self-taught, Deniz knows where beginners get stuck, and through trial and error has learned what works, what doesn't and why. As a scientist, Deniz explains the reasoning behind each step, so participants leave with an understanding of the process, not just a recipe.

Workshop
Saturday 7 November 2026, 10:30–13:30
Introduction to sourdough
With Deniz Bulgur

In this workshop we will learn how to make, feed and maintain a sourdough starter: which ratios to use and how to recognise the signs of fermentation. Then, working from an active starter, we will mix and knead bread dough. You will leave with a few new skills, a jar or two, and the confidence to keep experimenting at home. Taught in English.

Sign up
€40 (materials included). 50% discount for Arraiolos residents and Córtex Frontal artists in residence.

Past workshops 2026

Spoon carving workshop
The basic principles of carving wooden spoons: types of wood, tools, carving techniques and safe use of the tools.
Workshop
Saturday 17 October 2026
Spoon carving
With Lisbon Spoons
Jesmonite workshop
A practical introduction to Jesmonite, a non-toxic, fast-setting resin. Using simple clay moulds, participants made small relief tiles, exploring shape, texture, pigment and finish.
Workshop
Saturday 10 October 2026
Jesmonite workshop
With Hugo Brazão
Paper weaving
Participants explored weaving with paper, experimenting with patterns, colours and compositions inspired by Portuguese textile traditions.
Workshop
Saturday 19 September 2026
Paper weaving
With Isabel Guimarães
Carmine red
Exploring the carmine red palette through natural dyeing with cochineal and synthetic dyeing on yarn and fabric.
Workshop
Saturday 12 September 2026
Carmine red
With Cláudia Moreira
Paper pulp
Making three-dimensional forms with paper pulp, between solid and liquid states.
Workshop
Saturday 15 August 2026
Paper pulp
With Inês Teles
Ghost architecture
Digitising spaces and objects in the Córtex Frontal house and garden.
Workshop
Saturday 18 July 2026
Ghost architecture
With Diogo Malanho
Cyanozine
Cyanotype, a photographic process that uses sunlight to make blue and white prints, bound into a booklet.
Workshop
Saturday 27 June 2026
Cyanozine
With Francesca Faulin
Digital embroidery
The principles of digital embroidery, with demonstrations on a Janome MC500E machine.
Workshop
Saturday 23 May 2026
Digital embroidery
With Justine Latour
Japanese bookbinding
The basics of hand bookbinding, making a book with Japanese stab binding.
Workshop
Saturday 16 May 2026
Japanese bookbinding
With Letícia Burkardt
Tufting
The full process of making a tufted rug using the cut-pile technique.
Workshop
Saturday 18 April 2026
Tufting
With Francisco Couto
Basketry
Preparing and weaving plant fibres found in Portugal, such as willow and bulrush.
Workshop
Saturday 28 March 2026
Basketry
With Teresa da Cruz Almeida
Embroidered drawing
Drawing with embroidery, using the most common stitches to create expressive lines and fill areas with colour.
Workshop
Saturday 21 March 2026
Embroidered drawing
With Lídia Freixa
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