Who is Richard Pheonix?
Richard is an artist who works in painting, drawing, writing and creating music. The way I would describe his artwork would be colourful and abstract. Typically mixing these abstract ideas of humans with these colourful and also dark ideas. Below is an example of his artwork.
‘Whale’
2021
207cm x 182cm
Oil, oil bar and studio detritus on canvas and board
Richard is well known for starting up the creative community called Constant Flux. Constant Flux is a community that combines artists with learning difficulties and the D.I.Y. scene that is prominent in the UK.
Constant Flux
Constant flux is an incredible project. For many reasons, but I feel it’s important to note my experiences of working in the field of supporting young adults with learning difficulties.
I worked in care which specialised in helping young adults with special needs become more independent and expressive. I worked in a group in which the young adults had the most tendency to be extremely violent, in this group it is running on a 2-1 basis. 2 staff, 1 young adult. This job could be fun, but incredibly difficult and it could switch at the flick of a switch. So you are constantly looking out for yourself, staff, and more importantly, other young adults. Apart from that 2 days a week I would work with a musician called Stephen Noyce, who is a multi-instrumentalist. He would come into the facility and he and I would bring instruments like an electronic drum kit, guitar, microphone and percussion in for the young adults to play on. Typically to a song they have chosen, which is typically a Disney track or some rock/pop from the ’70s-’90s e.g. Micheal Jackson.
We found this to be a great way for the young adults to express their emotions and themselves through music, it’s very fun. The environment in these classes would be very upbeat and supportive. I learnt a lot from the young adults and they learnt from me, so it’s a win-win situation I guess.
Anyhow, the way I found Richard approached this was excellent, getting people who are sadly marginalised from society to express themselves through art. Whether it’s playing in bands, creating visual art, or anything else. It seems like a very safe space for them to create and not feel suppressed by societal norms that shouldn’t exist in the same place. I like the way the group releases music through various formats e.g. streaming, cassette. Having multiple ways for people to find this work is great and how Richard has set up tours for bands formed in this space and one-off exhibitions is fantastic for them to get themselves out into the world of touring in a safe environment.
Closing Words
I will definitely be applying what I’ve learnt from Richard and his indevours when I go back to working in care over the summer.
References
richardphoenix.com. (n.d.). Richard Phoenix. [online] Available at: https://richardphoenix.com/.
Anon, (n.d.). Constant Flux. [online] Available at: http://constantflux.co.uk/about/.