COMMON HOST: PARA(SITE) And Contemporary Folk Performance To Take Over Peckham Safehouses
A weekend gathering convened by zack mennell will run March 13–15 in London
By: A.A. Cristi Jan. 15, 2026
Artist zack mennell will convene COMMON HOST: gathering the parasitic (un)natural, a weekend programme of performances, workshops, and film presented from Friday, March 13 through Sunday, March 15 at Safehouse 1 & 2, located at 139 Copeland Road, London SE15 3SN.
Produced in collaboration with Future Ritual, COMMON HOST situates contemporary performance practices in dialogue with ancient folk customs and the post-industrial landscapes of London and Essex. The programme draws on folklore, archaeology, psychogeography, and contemporary mythmaking, with a particular focus on the Thames Estuary and the industrial terrain of Thurrock.
Programme Overview
COMMON HOST features para(site): a sea change, a new performance work by zack mennell, alongside contributions from Leon Clowes, Julia Bardsley, Nathalie Coste, Chanel Vegas, Pianka Parna, Ash McNaughton, Jo Morrison, and others to be announced.
The programme also includes the debut of a new short film by mennell in collaboration with Baiba Sprance and Marco Berardi, whose work documents performance art practices in London and internationally.
Performances and events take place across two semi-derelict domestic buildings, drawing on traditions such as mumming and site-responsive ritual performance to reframe theatre as ceremonial and carnivalesque.
Friday, March 13
Safehouse 1 & 2
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Exhibition view: 6:30 p.m.
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Performances: 7:15 p.m.
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End: 9:00 p.m.
An evening of performances by zack mennell and Ash McNaughton.
Saturday, March 14
Safehouse 1 & 2
Contaminated Materials Workshop
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10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
A workshop exploring performance approaches to difficult histories.
Evening Performances
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Exhibition view: 5:30 p.m.
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Performances: 6:15 p.m.
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End: 9:00 p.m.
Featuring Nathalie Coste and additional artists to be announced.
Sunday, March 15
Safehouse 1 & 2
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Exhibition view: 1:00 p.m.
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Performances: 2:00 p.m.
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End: 5:00 p.m.
An afternoon performance marathon featuring Leon Clowes, Chanel Davis, zack mennell, Jo Morrison, and others to be announced.
Tickets and Access
All events are pay what you can. Capacity at Safehouse 1 & 2 is limited, and advance booking is advised.
The Safehouses are derelict domestic spaces. While the ground floor, garden, and toilet are accessible at Safehouse 1, and the ground floor is accessible at Safehouse 2, there are steps into the garden at Safehouse 2. The venues are not wheelchair accessible, and attendance is recommended for individuals with a high level of mobility. All programme activity takes place on the ground floor of each building.
Access inquiries may be directed to producing@futureritual.co.uk.
About zack mennell
zack mennell (b. 1994, they/them) is a UK-based, self-taught artist working across performance, writing, and analogue photography. Their practice explores queerness, neurodiversity, ecology, and visibility through site-responsive and ritual-based work. Since 2022, mennell’s (para)site performance series has involved psychogeographic research along the River Thames and Thames Estuary, activating found industrial materials within live performance contexts.
mennell has collaborated frequently with performance artist Martin O’Brien and has worked with organizations including DadaFest International, ArtsAdmin, Duckie, Metal, and Venice International Performance Art Week. They are a member of the GLA Liberty Advisory Group, Bethlem Artist Collective, and Triangle LGBTQ+ Cultural Centre, and were a 2025 British Council Venice Biennale Fellow through their work with Outside In.
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