Plants and greenery have long been known to help bring positivity and good feng shui inside a home. But not all of us have a green thumb and the capability to keep these (sometimes fussy) botanicals alive. Instead of lining your living space with faux shrubs, we’ve got something much better for you — think along the lines of a Preserved Moss Frame workshop at The Mossiah (no maintenance required).
It’s a little hard to explain what exactly The Mossiah does, but we’ll try our best. If you couldn’t already guess from its moniker, visitors will find all things moss-related here. Aside from conducting moss-related workshops, The Mossiah team also uses the snazzy space as a studio to design bigger installations and bespoke pieces for clients.
Three main varieties of moss are used — pole moss, flat moss, and reindeer moss. You can tell the team at The Mossiah is truly dedicated to its craft: rather than sourcing out mass-produced, preserved moss from China, the moss used here is shipped in live from the Netherlands, which is then air dried, soaked in alcohol to clean it, dried again, and then dyed.
The extremely tedious process can take anywhere between a few months to half a year, depending on the weather (which happens to be extremely erratic these days).
Of course, with so much care going into the preservation process, the difference in quality is stark. While the ones shipped in from China feel rather uniform and aren’t the prettiest to look at, the ones from The Mossiah are soft and velvety — not to mention beautifully coloured.
The process begins with deciding on the centrepiece for the frame — be it names, a favourite quote, or motivational words. Choose something you’d love to see everyday, because it is, after all, meant to be displayed. We were able to try our hands with two different variations: one with the Native logo, and a bible quote for the other, which I made for myself to bring home.
The centrepieces are designed from scratch, so you can be sure that it’s unique and one-of-a-kind. Throughout the process, The Mossiah team would message us back and forth to make sure the chosen designs met ours (and their!) expectations. Afterwards, the text and/or logo are laser cut from wood and assembled by them.
Before the workshop begins, The Mossiah team will share more about the concept behind The Mossiah and its vision. It's here that they also explains how the moss is preserved, where it comes from, and other projects The Mossiah has worked on. Feel free to ask questions, because the moss masters are amicable chaps, and more than helpful.
It has built a pretty solid portfolio for itself, having worked with some pretty big names and companies. After the short presentation, you will be able to touch and feel the difference between the mass-produced preserved moss, and be provided with some tips and direction on how to go about with creating your art piece.
Don’t forget to make sure the frame is sitting the right way, because you wouldn’t want all the hard work that goes into it to be for nothing.
Then comes the fun part: it’s time to arrange the moss! Different hues of green, red, yellow, and orange are available, so feel free to let your imaginations run wild. It was quite overwhelming at first; so many colours to pick, and so many different possibilities.
However, once I started working on my masterpiece, it was hard not to stop. There’s something so therapeutic about getting the moss to fit perfectly within each portion of the frame. Have no calms about breaking up the pieces, and get creative with the assembly as well.
I’m no parent, but I can tell this hands-on experience is one even the kids will enjoy. The workstation will definitely get messy, but the best part is that all of it will be taken care of.
After you’re satisfied with the arrangement, all that’s left is to glue them in place. Snap a picture to help remember the placement of your moss, and proceed to glue away with the hot glue gun. While I was given the option to leave it as it is because my frame was stuffed to the brim, I decided to glue it down anyway just to be safe.
No worries if you weren’t blessed with artistic brilliance. After all that’s said and done, the moss masters (or should I say mossters?) will step in to help bring it all together, adding a few finishing touches. The option to add fairy lights is available too, but personally, I preferred it without.
This intricate workshop can take anywhere between two to four hours, but err on the longer side of things — this is a process you don’t want to rush. Another reason to drop by: snacks and beverages are thoughtfully provided to soothe any rumbling tummies.
For a fun weekend activity that’s off-the-beaten-path, this is the place to go. They are also on Shopee for those who want to make preserved moss frames or artworks from the comfort of their own homes — artistic guidance not included, though.
If I ever get married, I know where I’m having my hen party.
Native and The Mossiah are partnering to offer an exclusive rate for its signature Preserved Moss Frame workshop. If you want to try your hand at something that requires more expertise, check out The Mossiah x Bokkusu Terrarium workshop that’s also available from Native’s experiences page here.
This article is in partnership with The Mossiah.
The Mossiah
Address: 21 Bukit Batok Cres, #02-70 Wcega Tower, Singapore 658065
Opening Hours: Monday to Friday from 10am–5pm; Closed Saturday and Sunday
Contact: 9424 0521
