Catalyser, the flagship artist development programme from award-winning performance company Clod Ensemble, returns after a successful 2022 pilot for a new programme across 2024. The programme is made possible thanks to generous support from The O2 as well as the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

 

Located a stone’s throw from one another at the heart of Greenwich Peninsula, Clod Ensemble and The O2 are cornerstones of the local cultural offer. The Catalyser initiative is the ideal point of connection for two organisations with shared values of artistic excellence and engagement with South East London.

 

Clod Ensemble is a foundational tenant of Greenwich Peninsula’s Design District, running numerous local engagement projects and developing robust relationships with other prominent local arts bodies including NOW Gallery and the Photography Foundation. Neighbouring the performance company is The O2, the world’s most popular live entertainment, leisure and retail destination which has welcomed over 100 million visitors and sold over 30 million tickets since opening in 2007.

 

Working Locally, Thinking Globally

 

Catalyser embodies both Clod Ensemble’s ability to work hyper-locally in order to develop the next generation of world-class creative practitioners and The O2’s continued focus on local community engagement. Almost half of participants for Catalyser 2024 come from the Royal Borough of Greenwich or immediately neighbouring boroughs. More than two-thirds of participants come from South/East London, the areas in which Clod Ensemble and The O2 have particularly strong roots.

 

At the heart of Greenwich Peninsula since 2007, The O2 has a longstanding commitment to supporting the local community through its corporate social responsibility platform Good Vibes All Round. Launched in 2019, Good Vibes All Round underpins the venue’s initiatives across community, charity, sustainability and accessibility. Support of Catalyser is the latest example of The O2’s endeavours to improve opportunities for children and young people. These opportunities include the venue’s charity partnership with YoungMinds, the UK’s leading charity fighting for children and young people's mental health.

 

Catalyser is part of a larger programme of skills-sharing and artist development from Clod Ensemble. In addition to support from The O2, Catalyser is supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund. 2023 saw the National Lottery Heritage Fund pledge multi-year support to Clod Ensemble’s Choreozone project, an ambitious programme celebrating and sharing the company’s near-thirty-year performance archive.

 

Long-Term Skills Investment

 

Catalyser 2024 welcomes people aged 18-25 years from all backgrounds and artistic disciplines, prioritising those experiencing discrimination and socio-economic barriers, to Greenwich Peninsula for a bespoke six-month programme of skills-sharing, mentoring and career development. The programme allows young artists to work with Clod Ensemble’s Artistic Directors Suzy Willson & Paul Clark as well as the company’s associate artists and guest facilitators.

 

The programme began in April 2024 with a series of workshops held for a cohort of young creative practitioners at Clod Ensemble Studios. These workshops focussed on a broad range of creative practices - movement, theatre, sound design, visual arts, architecture - with the intention of bringing young artists together in an environment of interdisciplinary sharing. Catalyser participants were also treated to a backstage tour of The O2 during their time on Greenwich Peninsula.

 

Going forward, participants gain access to a wealth of resources and support from Catalyser including one-to-one mentoring for a 6-month period, 120 hours’ free access to Clod Ensemble’s studio space, opportunities for paid work placements and access to Clod Ensemble’s wider artist development programme.

 

Demonstrable Success

 

The 2024 cohort will build on the success of the initial Catalyser 2022 offering. The skills and connections cultivated in Catalyser 2022 proved to have long-term positive impact for participants - 70% of participants were making creative work in the 6 months after the workshop programme, 40 new works were created and presented through the programme including at Design District venues such as NOW Gallery, and cohort member Chloe Carterr filmed her Catalyser 2022 spoken word performance for a feature with Barbour International.

 

Suzy Willson, Co-Artistic Director & CEO of Clod Ensemble, says of The O2’s support of Catalyser;

 

"We are delighted that our iconic neighbours on the Greenwich Peninsula, The O2, are supporting our Catalyser programme - sharing our vision and commitment to nurturing the next generation of artists in South & East London. We very much look forward to working with them over the coming months."

 

Steve Sayer, Senior Vice President and General Manager at The O2, commented:

 

“We’re thrilled to be supporting the 2024 Catalyser programme, working with our neighbours on the Peninsula, Clod Ensemble. Being an active part of our local community is something we’re hugely passionate about at The O2, and we’re proud to be supporting an initiative which champions the nurturing and development of artists right here in Greenwich. We look forward to one day hopefully welcoming some of these budding young artists back to our world-famous arena to take to the stage.”

 

Quotations From Catalyser 2024 Participants

 

“I felt like I had quite a lot of autonomy over what I gave [to] and what I got [from] Catalyser - [Clod Ensemble] definitely treated us like adults and like established artists. I felt very respected.”

 

“We've had the opportunity to be invited into spaces which I personally haven't always seen as accessible or welcoming. [Clod Ensemble] understand the need for gentle and considerate practice here, which has supported my needs.”

 

“The program opened my eyes. I learned how to look for opportunities, what opportunities already exist and how to apply for funding.”

 

“Financial support from the organisation has helped me massively to take part in this programme.”