flat 70 is a community arts project in SE17.
We exist to support artistic, therapeutic & redistributive exchange between our existing and emerging community.
NICOLA-AMY THOMAS
the show
‘Drink water, Susan’ is available to view at flat 70 at the following times
Week 1
Friday 14th April: Family and Friends
Tuesday 18th April (Public): 2pm - 7pm
Friday 21st April (Public): 12pm - 7pm
Saturday 22nd April (Public): 5pm-7pm
Sunday 23rd April (Public): 1pm - 4pm
Week 2
Tuesday 25th April (Public): 2pm - 7pm
Friday 28th April (Public): 12pm - 7pm
Saturday 29th April (Public): 5pm-7pm
Sunday 30th April (Public): 1pm - 4pm
Week 3
Tuesday 2nd May (Public): 2pm - 7pm
Friday 5th May (Public): 12pm - 7pm
the artist
Nicola-Amy Thomas [She/Her] b. 1997 is a mixed media abstract textile artist whose work is centred around the use of visual art as a conduit for engaging in a healing mental health practice.
Having studied Art foundation at UAL and Textiles at Loughborough University, Nicola-Amy has found creating pieces that reflect the complex feelings that surround grief, loss, depression and anxiety, to be a cathartic release. The act of translating her emotions into tangible objects transforms them into tools that can be interacted with and used to aid healing.
As part of her job as a fitness instructor, Nicola-Amy is deeply connected to the way in which movement and physical expression can also be an outlet for challenging emotions, specifically through dance which has been a passion of hers since her school days.
Her latest body of work ‘Drink water, Susan’ is at once an exploration of grief, loss and healing as well as an ode to Nicola-Amy’s late grandmother to whom the work is dedicated. The program includes a series of workshops where attendees will be given the opportunity to create their own tangible representations of loss and explore their own experiences in a space that honours and celebrates them. These manifestations will then be added to an evolving installation at flat 70 where Nicola-Amy’s own textile pieces will be displayed.
During initial discussions on how to bring ‘Drink Water, Susan’ to life, the idea of exhibiting her own designs at flat 70 appealed to Nicola-Amy’s desire to recreate a space that ‘feels like home’ which, regardless of location, is often the site where healing is allowed to take place. Nicola-Amy was inspired by the work of organisations like Healing Justice London and wanted the program to include a series of workshops where others with similar experiences to her own can share in her exploration of grief and loss.
“The idea of sharing space to celebrate people, things and experiences that we have lost, feels like an important thing to do. I’m not a therapist or healing practitioner, I just want to create and share a safe space with people. When I lost my Grandma I thought that I had worked through all those feelings but now in the build up to this show I’ve realised that there is still more to work through and I want to use this opportunity to honour her memory. That’s why I included her name in the title” - Nicola-Amy Thomas
Nicola-Amy’s first solo exhibition ‘Drink Water, Susan’ is available to view by appointment at @_flat 70 or senam@flat70.co.uk
See Nicola-Amy’s work on Instagram
