In August, Lighthouse’s Future Creative Leaders invited Faisal Salah, also known as FACESOUL, for a week-long residency in Brighton, with the intention of further developing a workshop that he had been building around holistic arts practice. During the residency, FACESOUL collaborated with Future Creative Leader, Megan, for a workshop development session, and then delivered a workshop in Kemptown's Secret Garden to a group of 15.

“The entire experience was wonderful. It was a pleasure to be in Brighton at such a beautiful time of the year, and it was an incredible environment to be able to develop and deepen my practice with the workshop frameworks.

One of the key developments that I gained from this workshop was looking at the key frameworks of accessibility. The workshop went really well and opened new doors to developing play as the foundation for creativity.

Some of my feedback from the participants was that they had a fun time. They enjoyed themselves, and they were able to really just relax and enjoy the beauty of the secret garden. It's a beautiful space for rest and regeneration in creative play.” Faisal Salah aka FACESOUL

The workshop will continue to be developed and deployed through Faisal’s touring endeavours, enabled by his music and offered as an intimate alternative to the live music experience.

Photos below by LYC alum Leyla Abulhawa.

Using art as a vehicle for healing, Facesoul’s message is one with intent.

Faisal Salah, known by his stage name ‘FACESOUL' is a London-based artist born in East Africa. At 19, he began travelling the world, performing for different communities and sharing his story through his voice. These travels proved to be a formative step for his development as an artist, in which he discovered that these people, even with their apparent differences in race, language and environment, shared the same common internal emotions and feelings. And in that they were not separate. Faisal’s upbringing with traditional Islamic roots has been paramount to forming his truth and identity, and his sense of spirituality is imbued in his practice.

When he started performing at 15, he would combine his love of singing, poetry and storytelling as a tool to escape from the constraints of inner city living, and aspire for something better. The creative force behind his debut project, YSRA came from a period of personal grief and solitude after the passing of a dear friend in an accident during the recording period. It transformed the project into a creative documentation of his emotional reconnection with himself and the journey home after losing a loved one. It celebrates and honours vulnerability, exploring themes of grief, sorrow, joy, love, family and the human experience. His most recent project came in the form of an album, titled ‘Arrival’

@facesoul

Meg is a Brighton-based creative facilitator and the founder of Mind, Body and Earth, a growing project that offers gentle, welcoming spaces where people can connect, reflect, and express themselves through creativity. She believes that creative practices that support mental and emotional wellbeing should be open to everyone, and shouldn't break the bank. Meg is part of our Future Creative Leaders (FCL).

@mindbodyandearth  | linktr.ee/mindbodyandearth   www.mindbodyandearth.co.uk

Future Creative Leaders (FCL) is a 12-month paid programme offering young creatives from underrepresented backgrounds the opportunity to work closely with Lighthouse's leadership team to explore various aspects of creative leadership.

FCL redefines youth engagement by sharing power and resources directly with young people. This 12-month programme goes beyond access or participation. It places real influence, leadership, creative agency and decision-making power in the hands of those traditionally underrepresented in the creative industries.

Over the year, participants will co-curate programmes, select participants for mini-residencies, and recruit their successors, all while exploring alternative governance structures, accountability, and power-sharing.

FUNDERS

We're grateful to: ​​​Innovate UK, Chalk Cliff Trust, Sussex Community Foundation, and Enjoolata Foundation