Ellie Harrison

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Bring Back British Rail

  • 2023 Media

    Faut-il privatiser les transports en commun?

    16 Apr 2023
    27, ARTE (France)

  • 2021 Media

    Great British Railways Debate

    20 May 2021
    Jeremy Vine, BBC Radio 2

  • 2020 Writing

    Artist as Active Citizen

    Harrison reflects on The Glasgow Effect for this new text commissioned to launch a-n‘s year-long research project with AirSpace Gallery: Artists Make Change (May 2020 – May 2021). It is published alongside a new text by Dave Beech reflecting on the history of political art, to provoke discussion about artists’ roles in affecting social change. (Word count: 1,540)

  • 2019 Writing

    The Glasgow Effect: A Tale of Class, Capitalism & Carbon Footprint

    On 4 November 2019, Luath Press published Harrison’s first book. Inspired by her 2016 ‘durational performance’ The Glasgow Effect – for which she refused to travel beyond Glasgow’s city limits, or use any vehicles except her bike, for the whole calendar year – the book provides the complete context for her thinking and action. (Word count: 119,000)

  • 2018 Lecture

    The Future of Public Transport

    10 Nov 2018
    We Own It conference, London

  • 2018 Media

    Should we bring back British Rail?

    20 Sep 2018
    Jeremy Vine, BBC Radio 2

  • 2016 Media

    Rail re-nationalisation debate

    21 Nov 2016
    Kaye Adams, BBC Radio Scotland

  • 2016 Political Campaigns, Writing

    A Better Railway for Britain

    Writing as founder and coordinator of Bring Back British Rail, Harrison reflects on the last seven years’ campaigning for the public ownership of our railways in this preface for the campaign’s first report, launched in the Houses of Parliament in London on 13 October 2016. (Word count: 663)

  • 2016 Media

    Rail re-nationalisation debate

    27 Aug 2016
    Today, BBC Radio 4

  • 2016 Media

    RT News

    16 Aug 2016
    RT UK

  • 2016 Media

    Interview with Ellie Harrison

    16 Aug 2016
    Julia Hartley-Brewer, TalkRADIO

  • 2016 Media

    Exposing UK privatised train operating companies

    10 Aug 2016
    BCfm Radio

  • 2016 Media

    You & Yours

    8 Aug 2016
    BBC Radio 4

  • 2016 Media

    Commuter diaries of a rail nightmare

    23 Jul 2016
    The Guardian (p.14-15)

  • 2016 Media

    How one train company came off the rails

    17 Jul 2016
    The Sunday Telegraph (p.23)

  • 2016 Media

    Rail Chaos Victims’ Rage

    12 Jul 2016
    Daily Mail (p.26-27)

  • 2016 Media

    Loving the Inbox: the Artist as Bureaucrat

    1 Jul 2016
    ArtReview Asia (p.68-71)

  • 2016 Media

    Glasgow Central Station Demonstration

    4 Mar 2016
    CommonSpace

  • 2016 Media

    Artists need to stick their necks out

    7 Jan 2016
    CommonSpace

  • 2016 Media

    Protesters Oppose Hikes in Rail Fares

    6 Jan 2016
    Evening Times (p.9)

  • 2016 Media

    Rail Re-nationalisation debate

    4 Jan 2016
    5 Live Drive, BBC Radio 5 Live

  • 2015 Media

    Interview with Ellie Harrison

    3 Oct 2015
    Wizard Radio

  • 2015 Media

    Daily Show Debate

    20 Aug 2015
    BBC Radio 5 Live

  • 2015 Media

    The Big Conversation Show Interview

    18 Aug 2015
    BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

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News

Ellie Harrison is an artist & activist based in Glasgow (UK). In 2023 she won the Stephen Fry Public Engagement Award for her ‘Bus Regulation: The Musical’ Trilogy in Greater Manchester, Strathclyde & Merseyside (2019 – 2023).
In 2021 the Second Edition of Harrison’s book The Glasgow Effect: A Tale of Class, Capitalism & Carbon Footprint was launched at the UN Habitat’s Innovate4Cities conference to mark the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, and chosen by the Ecologist for the Resurgence Book Club. Her Early Warning Signs were also exhibited at Glasgow’s Mitchell Library during COP26 to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the project.
Harrison’s Vending Machine continues to feature in the 😹 LMAO exhibition exploring humour in data visualisation at the Open Data Institute in London.

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Ellie Harrison

Ellie Harrison

Artist, activist & author of 'The Glasgow Effect: A Tale of Class, Capitalism & Carbon Footprint' 📚

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This 𝗙𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝟱 𝗝𝘂𝗻𝗲 in Glasgow! 📢 I'm delighted to be talking about my work with Get Glasgow Moving & Glasgow Community Energy at the 𝘙𝘦𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘪𝘵𝘺: 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘎𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘨𝘰𝘸? conference at the University of Glasgow 🎟️ Tickets are free, so come join us 👇 @followers ... See MoreSee Less

5 days ago
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Don't miss our Better Buses National Hustings tonight! 👇 You can catch me on the livestream at 7pm:
📺 www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rFh2CjP_Xs @followers
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2 months ago
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"We need The Scottish Government to support our transport authority, SPT, to bring the bus network back into public control, so they can deliver a fully-integrated, accessible and affordable public transport network across the region like Greater Manchester’s new ‘Bee Network’, or the recently released plans for South Yorkshire’s ‘People’s Network’" — Ellie Harrison

I was delighted to contribute to Gerry Hassan's article for Bella Caledonia about 𝘈 𝘕𝘦𝘸 𝘋𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘝𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘎𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘨𝘰𝘸 👏 Read online here 👇
bellacaledonia.org.uk/2026/03/31/time-for-a-new-deal-and-vision-for-glasgow @followers
... See MoreSee Less

2 months ago
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Calling all A-N members! Don't miss this online artist's talk and workshop on '𝗔𝗿𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝗻𝘃𝗶𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲' which I'm co-hosting this Thursday 2 April, 11am-1pm 🌍 Find out more 👇 @followers ... See MoreSee Less

2 months ago
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Are you in Glasgow t

Are you in Glasgow this evening? Come along to this free screening of the brilliant POWER Film at The Glasgow School of Art 👇 I'll be introducing the event, talking about my work with Glasgow Community Energy and chairing a Q&A with artist and filmmaker Hilary Powell 😊 @followersSave the date! 🌞 We're delighted to be collaborating with Friends of the Earth Scotland to bring you Turning homes into renewable Power Stations: film screening & Discussion 👇
🗓️ Thurs 12 March 2026, 5:30pm
📍 Reid Building, The Glasgow School of Art
🎟️ Book free tickets: powerstationGSA.eventbrite.com @followers
... See MoreSee Less

3 months ago
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It’s this blatant injustice that motivates all my campaigning 😡 Why should people in the poorest parts of Glasgow have to pay 𝘯𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘸𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘴 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 for an essential public service as bankers in the City of London? Shame on The Scottish Government for presiding over this system for more than 25 years! @followers ... See MoreSee Less

5 months ago
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Ten years ago today, I was just beginning my year-long durational performance #TheGlasgowEffect which was to become one of the most controversial publicly-funded artworks that Scotland had ever seen.

Part psychological experiment, part protest, part strike, for the whole of 2016, I vowed not to travel beyond Glasgow’s city limits, or use any vehicles except my bike.

I described my experience of starting #TheGlasgowEffect, including being at the centre of the social media stooshie it provoked, in ‘When the Chips Hit the Fan’ – Chapter 5 of my book ‘The Glasgow Effect: A Tale of Class, Capitalism & Carbon Footprint’ published by Luath Press 📚

We have just printed a newly updated version of the Second Edition, so do have a read if you’d like to be transported back to that moment in January 2016... Find out more at: ellieharrison.com/book @followers
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5 months ago
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It's been brilliant working with Metro Map Design to produce Get Glasgow Moving's new film setting out our vision for the new #ClydeMetro integrated public transport system 🤩 Check it out here 👇 @followers ... See MoreSee Less

6 months ago
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Commodities

  • Radical Renewable Art + Activism Fund Sticker Radical Renewable Art + Activism Fund Sticker £3.00
  • Day-to-Day Data Book Day-to-Day Data Book £20.00
  • 4 Live Broadcasts DVD 4 LIVE Broadcasts DVD £20.00
  • Hen Weekend Badge Hen Weekend Badge £2.00
  • Tea Blog Sticker Tea Blog Sticker £1.00
  • Confessions of a Recovering Data Collector Book Confessions of a Recovering Data Collector £10.00
  • Part-time Book Part-time Book £10.00
  • National Museum of Roller Derby Sticker National Museum of Roller Derby Sticker £3.00
  • Bus Regulation: The Musical T-Shirt Bus Regulation: The Musical T-Shirt £15.00

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