About our FLOURISH 2 Artists
Monir Amiri (she/her)
Monir is the founder of Beauty of Clay. It started in 2018 in Hangleton & Knoll, Hove, with the support of the Hangleton & Knoll Project and funding from UNLtd. She runs affordable pottery & ceramic workshops sharing insights into Persian culture and the intimacy, richness and beauty of Persian ceramic art and design.
Kate Adams (she/her)
Kate is a dance artist and teacher of all ages who loves to give her students the opportunity to create and perform their dances. She has danced and choreographed in contemporary, West African, hip hop and Bollywood/Bhangra styles and designs and makes costumes and props for her dance, often using recycled items.
Tom Banks (he/him)
Tom is a printmaker and digital artist. He is the lead practitioner and founder of H’Art & Soul Print, a creative company running printing workshops in the community. His mission is to encourage creativity, whilst cultivating a connection with nature. He would like to make printing practices accessible to all.
Heidi Compton (she/her)
Heidi's background is in photography, illustration and display. In 2014 she began running art classes for children and went on to do art interventions. In 2020 she began working with HERA running classes for wellbeing for adults and teens. In 2021 she set up classes to support NHS workers.
Adriana Lord (she/her) is a versatile artist, with a background in medicine, combines sound healing, voice work, movement, multicultural & traditional Afro-Cuban music in her sessions. Her workshops and artistry draw from African and Caribbean spiritual practices, as well as her experience in arts and science. As an Arts and Wellbeing practitioner, she collaborates with organisations, delivering workshops and presentations aimed at improving mood, confidence, social connection, and overall wellbeing. Workshops include, storytelling and singing sessions for children and groups, sound baths, voice coaching. Adriana empowers individuals to manage their mental health creatively while fronting Afro-Cuban bands Son Guarachando and LOKEBA. Her collaborations include projects such as “Rest Experience” led by artist Akila Richards and “Lullabies For The Exhausted” showcasing her commitment to holistic wellness through art and culture. www.adrianalord.com
Joe Lott (she/her) is a choreographer for screen and augmented reality, a creative mentor, independent dance producer, and arts marketing specialist. She has presented dance works at festivals across the UK, and received the Bonnie Bird Choreo award in 2014. Joe believes in the wisdom and intuition of the body, and dancing for joy and self-expression rather than getting the steps ‘right’.
Simon Maddrell (he/him/they) is a writer, poet, editor and educator identifying as a queer Manx man, thriving with HIV. He is widely anthologised and has appeared in numerous publications including Magma, Poetry Wales, The Moth, The Rialto, Under the Radar. Simon has also had five pamphlets published since 2020 –– the last three of which were Poetry Book Society Pamphlet Selections. Simon offers technical and wellbeing writing workshops, 1:1 mentoring and editing. In addition to FLOURISH, He has attended the 'Free Fall: Writing as Creative Therapy' workshop at The Gestalt Centre.
Maddie Millett (she/her)
Maddie has always had a love of clay. She is fascinated by ancient pottery, especially depicting female deities. Her research into this has influenced her work. She feels a strong connection to the past through what she makes with clay and yet it is also a very immediate material that enables her to be intuitive and spontaneous, often taking her in unexpected directions.
Diensen Pamben (he/him) has a broad range of media experience and his main area of interest is photography. His style tends to revolve around street photography, sometimes with an eye on social issues and a story. He has a strong interest in mental health and wellbeing and he’d like to use photography to help people connect and explore some of their own experiences. Diensen brings his experience in editorial photography to deliver mentoring in photography, to encourage confidence and connection. He is currently photographing events and socially engaged projects in Brighton and London. He offers 1-1 mentoring to help beginners develop their skills and explore the exciting world that photography has to offer. Diensen.com
Wendy Pye (she/her)
Wendy is a visual artist working primarily with photography and video. She completed an MA in Photographic Arts at The London College of Communication - University of the Arts in 2009. Her creative interests are in visual narratives, inspired by real and mythical stories that are connected to the land.
Chris Sav (he/him) is a visual artist working in illustration and performance. He draws cartoons and comics that explore ideas around masculinity and mental health, and also sings about vegetables. Chris offers drawing workshops that explore the role humour can play in mental health and wellbeing for young adults and upwards.
River Sweeney (she/her) is a graduate of Goldsmiths University where she studied a BA in Drama and Theatre Arts. In 2020 she completed her master’s degree in fine art at the University of Brighton. Her work responds to socio-political themes. She uses video, sound, and performance, but is open to experimenting with other mediums to examine current issues and injustices that take place in the African Caribbean diaspora. River’s latest workshop, is an Art and Mental Health Resilience Workshop for adults from the Global majorities living in Sussex, Kent, and Surrey. Funded by Brighton and Sussex Medical School. riversweeneyvisualartist.com
Alice Wisden (she/her)
Alice trained at Wimbledon School of Art & graduated in 2008 with a BA in Painting. She creates paintings that depict people in familiar situations defaced by exaggerated masked faces. By juxtaposing characters in a conflicting realm, she aims to portray an unaddressed psychological reaction to mental discomfort. Through imagery, she addresses the rules of framing sanity and indifferent approaches to humanity.
