Through print and sculpture, Ellie, visually communicates the stories embedded in the local humanised landscape surrounding her and the turbulent history of the ecologies belonging to it. Her work visually references environmental writers such as Emma Marris and Jean Dorst, which leads her to challenge what is the true definition of “nature”? Does it imply something that is untouched by humans?

 

Questioning the undervaluation of some natural materials in this somewhat throw away world we now live in. Her project aims to be a sustainably thoughtful studio process,  experimenting with natural fibres and repurposed materials from industry. Hand tufting with leftover industrial British sheep’s wool yarn onto hessian backing, which was sourced from a local coffee roasting company. Furthermore, utilising the yarn waste from her own hand tufting process. She collects and sorts the excess fibre of the various colour pigments, and then combines these with potato starch, in her own experimental production technique, to form a 3D biomaterial with colour surface pattern. Thus, reassessing the value of fibre and colour pigment waste in this context. Amalgamating the visual inspiration of “touched nature” and the materials chosen to work with, to trigger discussions around sustainability and to further question the definition of rural nature.