Do Somethin' (2026)

rhinestones, glue, PVC

each façade approximately 2 by 16 metres

Do Somethin' is a site-specific work commissioned by Focal Point Gallery, installed above Southend High Street, Essex, UK from 18 July–17 October 2026

a limited edition of compact mirrors expand the work's reach beyond the immediate vicinity of Southend High Street, whilst an unofficial invitation explicitly reveals the political inspiration behind Do Somethin' despite censorship

exhibition documentation by Anna Lukala

Do Somethin’ transforms a railway bridge above the High Street in the artist’s hometown of Southend-on-Sea, Essex, into a glittering call to action. Featuring gargantuan images of the eyes of Beyoncé and Britney Spears alongside lyrics from their respective songs, ‘Haunted’ (2013) and ‘Do Somethin’’ (2004), the installation finds political resonance in familiar pop-cultural references, recontextualising them in public space to question the conditions of working-class life and our capacity to effect change.

Rendered in hundreds of thousands of baby pink rhinestones, the work draws on Chapman's upbringing as a working-class Essex girl, embracing the glamour, excess and artifice often dismissed as ‘tacky’ or unsophisticated. Pairing Beyoncé's observation, ‘working 9–5 just to stay alive’, with Britney's provocation, ‘why don’t you do somethin’?’, Chapman transforms pop lyrics into a call for collective action. Through the familiar language of celebrity spectacle, the work invites passersby to consider how seemingly powerless individuals might organise together as a means of exercising real agency.