LUAP creates Mind & Body for Me, My Brain & I, a fundraising project for Parkinson’s UK spanning Koppel X, Piccadilly Lights and Christie’s. The Sculpture explores the fragile connection between our psychological and physical selves, and the contradictions between vulnerability and strength.
The brain and body depend on one another, yet they do not always appear to move in harmony. Mind & Body makes that relationship physical, separating the two forms while maintaining a delicate connection between them. The Pink Bear stands on a reclaimed tree trunk beneath a brain suspended above, with a transparent rod bridging the space between them.
The work holds opposing states together. Softness meets solidity, fragility sits alongside resilience, and fear does not necessarily exclude strength. As LUAP explains, “I wanted to create a work that explored the fragility and softness of the body and mind”. The Sculpture considers how vulnerable that relationship can feel while also recognising our capacity to continue, adapt and overcome obstacles.
That tension connects closely with LUAP’s wider exploration of psychology and internal experience. The Pink Bear repeatedly provides a way of giving form to states that are difficult to see from the outside. Here, the normally invisible relationship between thought and body is pulled apart and made spatial, while the narrow connection between them becomes an essential part of the Sculpture.
Material choices reinforce the idea rather than simply describing it. Plush and recycled stuffing contrast with Aluminium, Resin and reclaimed Wood, while the Birch tree introduces an organic structure beneath the fabricated brain. Measuring 56 × 28 × 19.5 cm, Mind & Body develops the brain form created by theatrical effects artist Schoony into a complete sculptural work.
The Sculpture forms part of Me, My Brain & I, created in support of Parkinson’s UK with The Auction Collective and Christie’s. Fifteen works bring together artists including Tracey Emin, David Bailey, Alex Echo, D*Face, Gavin Turk, Conrad Shawcross, Rob and Nick Carter, Abigail Fallis, Hayden Kays, Dion Kitson, Nick Veasey and Schoony, with Geoff Uglow creating a new work live.
The project first opens publicly at Koppel X in Piccadilly Circus, where LUAP and Alex Echo also lead workshops inviting visitors to consider what their own brain means to them. It then expands into public space through a takeover of Piccadilly Lights. The screen time is donated by Landsec, with the takeover led by LUAP and his team at Alt Co Clique, extending the project beyond the exhibition and bringing Parkinson’s UK into one of London’s most visible public spaces.
The project culminates at Christie’s King Street on 14 December 2022, where the collection is auctioned through The Auction Collective, with all proceeds supporting Parkinson’s UK and its work towards new treatments and a cure.
The Pink Bear with LUAP’s work displayed on Piccadilly Lights for Me, My Brain & I.
The Pink Bear at Piccadilly Circus during the Me, My Brain & I takeover of Piccadilly Lights.
LUAP with artist Dion Kitson in front of Tracey Emin’s brain sculpture at Me, My Brain & I, Koppel X, London.
LUAP with artist Nettie Wakefield at Me, My Brain & I, Koppel X, London.
LUAP with Mind & Body at the Me, My Brain & I exhibition at Koppel X, London.
Mind & Body installed at Christie’s, King Street, for the Me, My Brain & I charity auction in support of Parkinson’s UK.
