This hands-on workshop invites participants to explore the art of handmade bookbinding by reimagining vintage cassette tapes as book covers and applying the Coptic stitch binding technique—an ancient method rooted in Egyptian Coptic heritage.

Blending traditional craftsmanship with sustainable design, the session offers a creative space where recycling meets visual storytelling. Participants will engage in a reflective artistic process, producing a one-of-a-kind notebook that bridges the past and present through material, method, and meaning.

Whether you are a designer, maker, artist, or simply curious, this workshop will open new perspectives on how everyday objects can be transformed into expressive, functional artworks.

What You’ll Walk Away With:

• A basic understanding of hand bookbinding and the history of Coptic stitch
• Hands-on experience with creative upcycling using materials like cassette tapes
• Mastery of the Coptic binding technique applied to notebook creation
• Development of fine motor skills and an eye for artistic design thinking
• Your own completed handmade artistic notebook, reflecting both heritage and innovation

Meet the Maker:
Chadi Salama is a visual artist, researcher, and lecturer at the Faculty of Art Education, Helwan University. His practice focuses on the intersection of design, craftsmanship, and visual narrative—especially through the form of the artist’s book.

In 2010, he founded It Looks Like a Book, a community initiative exploring papermaking, binding, and bookmaking as a medium for artistic expression. Chadi’s work treats the book as a tactile, reflective space—a vessel for memory and personal experience. He has exhibited locally and internationally since 1999 and received multiple awards, including First Prize in Installation Art at the Heritage Arts Biennale in Ecuador (2012) and Grand Mural Prize at the Youth Salon in 2007 and 2008. In 2018, he curated the 8th International Artist’s Book Biennale at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina.

Who Can Join?

16+

Duration:

1 hour

Date & Time:

Day 2

11 AM to 1 PM

Location: 
Room 1 – G128