Punchdrunk is proud to showcase work created by WSUP guests through art therapy workshops with local artists Lucia Colella and Stacey Lockelder.
Lucia’s workshops focused on the theme of democracy and encouraged guests to express themselves creatively and engage with the democratic process. Stacey’s workshops were around mental health and wellbeing, and guests experimented with different media and techniques.
Biographies
Lucia Colella
I am a gestural intuitive artist who uses music at the core of my method. The music I utilise whilst creating is essential in my practice as a way of bringing an emotional truth to the image.
My work begins chaotically, but with great desire and patience I soon sculpt my subject into recognisable form. Gesture and movement to the rhythm and melody pour intense energy into my mark making which ultimately create a convincing expression.
Raw immediate emotion from musical influence, constructed by various means with my favourite mediums being pastel, charcoal, pencil and graphite.
Instagram: @onmyway.tothetate
Stacey Lockelder
SNAZZii Stace – Born in Edinburgh but has lived in London for 17 years. Stacey started her working career as a successful fashion designer working with huge high-street retailers but when the first Covid 19 lockdown hit, Stacey found herself eight months pregnant and out of a creative job. Throw in a newborn baby, and a near-death experience from an extremely traumatic childbirth where she found herself in a coma and on a life-support machine. PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) started kicking in followed by PPD (postpartum depression) and lots of ongoing medical issues, which are still not resolved to this day. Stacey turned to art as a way of coping with things and a way to channel negative energy. When her little girl was around six months old she joined a local parent and baby art class and her bond with her little girl grew.
Art is Staceys therapy – ‘HAPPii medicine’ – and so she created her HAPPii Art classes as a way to help others. “It has been a real joy to be able to work with other people suffering with mental health issues and other pressing life issues during my time at WSUP. I loved being able to spend time with the WSUP guests, getting to know them on a personal level and teaching them artistic techniques to help channel negative energy. I was absolutely amazed at the work the guests created, some of whom had never liked art previously. They should be so proud of the mixed media art they created. I am so proud of each and every one of them.”
Instagram: @HAPPii_Stuff
About Punchdrunk
Founded in 2000 by Felix Barrett, Punchdrunk has pioneered a game-changing form of theatre which places the audience at the very heart of the action. Listed amongst the 50 most influential artists of the last 50 years (Sky Arts, 2022) alongside David Bowie, Sir Steve McQueen and Vivienne Westwood, Punchdrunk disrupts the theatrical norm, creating worlds in which audiences can rediscover the childlike excitement of exploring the unknown.
Its iconic “mask” shows, which redefined the genre of immersive experiences, have been cited amongst the 40 creative moments that changed culture (Creative Review), and have found phenomenal success across the globe, with record-breaking productions established in the US, UK and China. The Drowned Man: A Hollywood Fable broke the National Theatre’s box office records, Sleep No More in New York has been playing to sell out audiences since 2011, and in Shanghai the show has been running since 2016, making it the longest running international show in the city’s history.
Alongside these landmark live theatrical experiences, Punchdrunk has taken its ground-breaking approach to cross-cultural collaborations in music, tech, fashion and TV: from projects with Rihanna to Jack White, Louis Vuitton to Alexander McQueen, and HBO to Brad Pitt’s Plan B Studios – most recently with TV series The Third Day, starring Jude Law, Naomie Harris, Katherine Waterston, Emily Watson and Paddy Considine which included the Bafta-nominated live event: The Third Day: Autumn: a 12-hour live episode, filmed in one continuous take.
Whether it’s a VR experience, a TV show, or a musical performance, the uniting thread across all of the company’s work is the aim to leave audiences feeling punchdrunk: spinning, seeing stars, and intoxicated by the magic of a live experience.
About WSUP
Woolwich Service Users Project (WSUP) is a grassroots charity that provides practical and emotional support to those seeking help in our community.
We support people who are going through, or are at risk of, poverty, homelessness, addiction and any other life challenges. We offer essential services including a warm and safe community space where people in need can access hot meals, showers, haircuts, a laundry service and a clothing bank. We are a non-judgmental environment and our doors are open to everyone in our community who needs us.
We partner with external organisations to provide advice and guidance sessions for our guests. These services include support with healthcare, housing, employment, skills training, benefits, addiction, debt and mental health issues. We also run a range of wellbeing activities, including yoga and meditation, to enhance our guests’ health and quality of life.
