By Zara Waters

As a co-founder, my role within OXYGENIC has always been shaped by one core question: what does it mean to create a place where people can genuinely arrive as they are?

Art sits at the heart of that question.

OXYGENIC is, first and foremost, a place for people to come together. It’s social, welcoming and alive. Two bars, music moving through the space, conversations unfolding naturally. People come to meet friends, hear music, share a drink, or simply be around others without pressure. Art exists within that atmosphere, not apart from it.

From the way art lives within the space, the workshops emerged naturally.

They grew out of the same impulse that shapes the venue itself: making room for people to step out of habit, drop into a different pace, and experience something together without being told what to think or feel. Just as the art on the walls changes how the space is held, the workshops invite people to engage with that process more directly.

Upstairs at OXYGENIC, three dedicated spaces are taking form. An art studio, a workshop space, and a quieter room for somatic and one-to-one work. Each space is distinct, designed for different ways of working, while remaining connected to the wider life of the venue. They don’t introduce a new direction. They deepen what is already there.

In the experiences I offer, art becomes something you step into rather than observe. The focus is on the act of creating itself and what that reveals in the moment. There is no emphasis on skill, outcome or interpretation. What matters is the experience of being present with the process and with others.

For some, this means finding a different relationship with art.

For others, it’s about finding a different relationship with themselves.

Often, it’s both.

Creativity is not separate from the life of OXYGENIC. It runs through it. Another way the space invites connection, exploration and shared experience, using art as a common point of reference.

In that sense, the private and group experiences I offer don’t add something new. They deepen what is already here.