Wansteadium

Among the most impressive projects to come out of the lockdown has been built by Wanstead resident Shea Donovan, an artistic director who in normal times divides her time between E11, New York and LA.

Shea conceived and developed a project which asked 154 participants to transform Shakespeare’s sonnets into personal creative acts. People from all over the world responded to her invitation, and the resulting films have been compiled into a magnificent collection which are now being streamed online.

She said: “In these uncertain times, the work is interested in exploring how to link individuals and communities in isolation, and how to generate creative work outside of our typical models of in person rehearsal and collaboration. While many artists are unsure of what the immediate future holds, this project aims to ground them in a global artistic community and encourage the creation of new work in crisis.”

Shea moved to the UK with her fiancé, who works in Loughton. As well as performing, she is studying for a Masters at UEL in Stratford. “Wanstead was the perfect location and had the charm and the sense of community we were after,” she said. “I’ve actually recently started participating in the Flamingo Fairs at Wanstead Library selling vegan baked goods (my other love besides theatre!) so I have really enjoyed getting more involved in Wanstead life.”

With garden waste and recycling not being collected, it’s tempting to think about a garden bonfire. But Redbridge is appealing to residents not to go there.

A statement issued by the council said: “With the limited ability to enjoy fresh air at the moment, we all want to be able to get the best out of our gardens. We are asking residents not to start fires and, particularly, not to burn rubbish.” It’s also reminding people that unreasonably polluting fires can be reported to the council’s pollution team.

Wansteadium’s heart swelled with pride at the 2,000th subscriber to our email newsletter. The email contains that day’s items plus – in normal times – listings from the Wanstead Events Calendar (though obviously there aren’t any events at the moment). We only ever send one a day, and send no spam.

If you don’t already subscribe, you can join the coolest gang in Wanstead by signing up here.

The bluebells of Wanstead Park are an annual joy – and this year is no different. Assuming appropriate social distancing, many people will be savouring the sight, but the usual caveats apply – namely that stepping off the path onto the soil destroys the bulbs and must be avoided, tempting though it is to get good photos.

Thankfully, reader Adrian Ryan has done us a solid by getting these pictures from a safe vantage point, so you don’t have to. Enjoy!

An opportunity to share anything you’ve been making or doing with fellow readers.

This from dedicated readers Henry and Nick, who have taken the opportunity to build what will become a further Little Library for Aldersbrook.

And this from Ros Dick who has found the space and time to throw the kitchen sink at the papyrus.

Let us share what you’ve been busy with – send pics and some info to info@wansteadium.com