10 Strangers, 8 Weeks,
1 Mission: To redefine joy.
[ ] Photo: Chillee Noir
ABOUT
The first Joy Club was an experimental participatory arts project supported by TEAM Collective Cymru. The ambition was to bring together a group of ten strangers over a ten week period to explore the concept of joy.
During a programme of weekly sessions, participants engaged in themed experiences designed to evoke connection, play, spontaneity, creativity, calm and challenge; from urban exploration and sensory play to improvised performance and collective acts. The project was co-designed and facilitated by three theatre makers working alongside a counselling psychologist, creating spaces that blended artistic practice with an enquiry into wellbeing and phenomenon of social experiences.
Looking ahead, Joy Club will continue to evolve as both a model and a conversation. Working in collaboration with various organisations, our aim is to facilitate a process that will not only enable participants to explore their mental wellbeing and health, but also be the starting point for a broader more national conversation around mental wellness and happiness.
"A sort of surrealist approach to group therapy"
Joy Club Participant
JOY CLUB TEAM
Creative Team
Creative Facilitators
Justin Teddy Cliffe
Charlotte Lewis
Dramaturge & Facilitator
Frank Thomas
Original Participants
Emma, Alex, Cara, Daf, Inga, Iwan, Jazz, Paul, Keys + Joe.
Original Partners and Support
This project was initially funded and supported by TEAM Collective Cymru. The methodology for Joy Club was created in collaboration with Counselling Phychologist Dr Annie Beyer and Project Co-Ordinator Emma Gonzales.
Media
Photographer and Videographer Chillee Noir
“Joy Club reminded me about the importance of carving time into my life to connect with others and intentionally make space for fun, play and community"
Jazz - Joy Club Participant
"Because of a life changing diagnosis I particularly seek out joy, hence I applied for Joy Club. It's very hard to find people who want to 'play', which is so important for life. Joy club gave me a room full of those people"
Emma - Joy Club Participant
VIDEOS
Session 5: Destruction
Though it might feel like 'destroying' has predominantly negative connotations, the act of quick destruction is linked to stress relief and satisfaction.
When thinking about how it may be a root to catharsis or a way of making room for improved creativity, we wanted to look at Destruction as an opposite and equal force to Creation.
This is a short 'Monster Movie' we made in which the participants take on the roll of JoyZillas, gleefully tearing their own creation down.
