“Memory and Urban sketching: A storytelling workshop through sketching”

A special sketching workshop led by visual artist Yehezkiel Cyndo from Indonesia.

Time: 14:00 – 18:00, Sunday, June 22, 2025.

Location: Toong Coworking Space (51 Phan Boi Chau, Cua Nam Ward), Hoan Kiem District & Hanoi Old Quarter.

Language: English – Vietnamese.

Participation Fee: 350,000 VND/person, 20% discount to 280,000 VND for students and HAS/TOONG library members; discounted to 315,000 VND/person for group registration (2 people or more).

Register here (20 people)

(Credit: Organizers)

Unlike photography, sketching is a gradual, layered process of image-making that gives us time to absorb our surroundings and reflect on what we see. These slow, attentive observations leave deeper impressions, helping us remember more vividly what we experienced in that moment.

For artists, researchers, and storytellers, sketches are more than drawings—they are visual diaries that preserve moments, thoughts, and emotions. Many established artists begin their creative process with such studies before developing larger works. Over time, sketchbooks become profound records of their artistic journeys.

At “Memory and Urban Sketching: A Storytelling Workshop through Sketching,” participants will be guided by Indonesian visual artist Yehezkiel Cyndo. Since 2011, Cyndo has practiced diary-making through sketching – also known as urban sketching – a narrative drawing practice rooted in direct observation and enriched with personal or contextual notes that turn each sketch into a vivid memory.

The workshop also features Nguyễn Vũ Hải, a Hanoi-based storyteller, who will lead participants to selected areas of the city for on-site sketching. For many years, Hải has designed in-depth tours that incorporate interactive activities to help participants engage directly with the landscape. Among his most notable works is “The River’s Trace, The City’s Soul” (Dấu sông, Hồn phố), a walking tour that traces the vestiges of the Tô Lịch River and its influence on Hanoi’s urban development over more than a century. More recently, he has begun a study of Hanoi’s former Chinatown and the Chinese-Vietnamese community that has nearly disappeared from the city’s contemporary urban life.

Workshop Activities

Start at Toong Coworking Space	Welcome and program introduction by representatives of Heritage Art Space and Toong. Artist’s sharing: Cyndo shares the stories he collected during his two-week stay in Hanoi. Introduction to the genre of urban sketching and its global manifesto; How to choose a subject for sketching (places, events, objects with a story); Techniques and “tips” for combining drawing and writing; Illustration: Main composition styles (Full-page sketch & multi-frame and layered sketching); Sharing about the Cyndo Jalan-jalan Project (Cyndo exploring/wandering) in Vietnam and Malaysia
Walk around the Old Quarter area	Nguyen Vu Hai leads participants on a tour and tells stories about some special locations in the Old Quarter. On-site sketching under Cyndo’s guidance; Review and evaluation of individual sketches.
Return to Toong Coworking Space	Sharing: Participants share their own sketches Photo session and workshop wrap-up!

Participants are required to:

• Be 15 years old or older (no advanced drawing skills needed; basic drawing ability is sufficient);
• Bring a sketchbook (any size; A6-A4 is recommended for convenient outdoor sketching);
• Bring their own drawing materials (such as pens, pencils, colored pencils, charcoal, watercolors, crayons, markers, etc.).

Note: Drinking water will be provided at the workshop location. Please bring a personal water bottle to help reduce environmental waste.

The workshop is supported by TOONG, which provides the venue, and ba-bau AIR, which offers accommodation support for the visiting artist.

This event is part of the Asian Art Mapping Project: City Storytelling between Hanoi and Semarang, a long-term initiative by Heritage Art Space co-organized with Collabox. The project includes local knowledge-sharing activities and a residency exchange program for cultural and artistic practitioners in Hanoi and Semarang.

The workshop is also part of the Connecting through Culture and the Arts series, supported by the Mekong Cultural Hub and the Asian Social Art Network.

Update more information on the event page.