Ellie Harrison

  • About
  • Work
  • Search

broadsheet

  • 2016 Media

    Outraged over a £15,000 Glasgow art project? Look at the bigger picture

    6 Jan 2016
    The Guardian

  • 2016 Media

    Artist defends £15,000 grant that sparked abusive attack

    6 Jan 2016
    The Herald (p.11)

  • 2016 Media

    ‘Glasgow Effect’ artist controversy: arts body defends funding Ellie Harrison

    6 Jan 2016
    The Herald

  • 2016 Media

    Artist’s stay at home project has wrong effect

    5 Jan 2016
    The Scotsman (p.5)

  • 2016 Media

    Artist’s £15,000 grant to stay in Glasgow for a year is money well spent

    5 Jan 2016
    The Guardian

  • 2016 Media

    Art of provoking a backlash

    5 Jan 2016
    The Herald (p.1)

  • 2015 Media

    Let a Public Train take the Strain

    8 Aug 2015
    The Guardian (p.33)

  • 2015 Media

    Home Truths

    26 Apr 2015
    Scotland on Sunday (Spectrum p.16-17)

  • 2014 Media

    Counterpoint

    31 Aug 2014
    Scotland on Sunday

  • 2014 Media

    L’Ecosse Répète son Indépendance sur les Planches

    21 Aug 2014
    Le Monde (France) (p.12)

  • 2014 Media

    Getting Straight to the Point

    9 Aug 2014
    The Herald (The Arts p.6)

  • 2014 Media

    Royal High School set for Festival revival

    31 Jul 2014
    The Scotsman

  • 2014 Media

    Indyref Confetti Cannon to go on Display at Edinburgh Art Festival

    31 Jul 2014
    The Herald (p.10)

  • 2014 Media

    Confetti Cannon Primed to Explode, or Maybe Not

    31 Jul 2014
    The Times (p.16)

  • 2012 Media

    She Shelves Sanctuary

    9 Sep 2012
    Scotland on Sunday (The Week p.8-9)

  • 2011 Media

    Nice to Meet You

    23 Oct 2011
    Independent on Sunday (The Pink List p.4)

  • 2011 Media

    Vault Art Glasgow

    4 Sep 2011
    Scotland on Sunday (Review p.4)

  • 2010 Media

    The Finished Article

    6 Jun 2010
    Scotland on Sunday (Review p.7)

  • 2010 Media

    Artists in a bid for success with different type of draw

    29 May 2010
    The Herald (p.11)

  • 2010 Media

    Party Politics: Election Art

    5 May 2010
    The Guardian (p.17)

  • 2005 Media

    Many Conceptual Artists Have an Unholy Delight in Statistics

    27 Jul 2005
    The Times (T2 p.16)

  • 2005 Media

    Exhibition: Day-to-Day Data

    23 Jul 2005
    The Guardian (The Guide p.37)

  • 2003 Media

    A Day in the Life

    28 May 2003
    The Washington Times (USA) (p.3)

  • 2002 Media

    Eat Me!

    21 Mar 2002
    The Guardian (Online p.6)

← Older Newer →

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.

Cover for Ellie Harrison
3,011
Ellie Harrison

Ellie Harrison

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

Comments Box SVG iconsUsed for the like, share, comment, and reaction icons
Image attachment
Image attachment
Image attachment
Image attachment

It was great to meet Paul from PalFox Photography last month when he visited me at Wasps Studios Hanson Street to take these fab pictures 📷

My studio has always been more like an office than anything else, going back to my very first one in Glasgow in the Barnes Building at The Glasgow School of Art from 2008-2010. I bought ‘The Boss’ mug back then as I was interested in the aesthetics of the corporate world and exploring what it meant to be self-employed worker, making pieces like ‘The History of Financial Crises’ (2009), ‘Desk Chair Parade’ (2009) and ‘Desk Chair Disco’ (2011), and the ‘Work-a-thon for the Self-Employed’ (2011).

I’m not making much art these days as nearly all my time goes into local community activism, particularly with the Glasgow Community Energy co-operative which I helped get up-and-running during the pandemic, and with the Get Glasgow Moving public transport campaign which I co-founded in 2016.

Over the summer I’m preparing for Get Glasgow Moving’s 10th Anniversary Exhibition at the New Glasgow Society, which opens on Thurs 17 September as part of Glasgow Doors Open Days Festival 2026.

I love using my creative skills to further causes that I’m passionate about. Over the years I've designed many campaign materials – including this ‘Trans-Clyde Links You Clyde-Wide’ T-Shirt, which is based on the original marketing for the Trans-Clyde integrated public transport network launched by the Greater Glasgow Passenger Transport Executive in 1979, the year that I was born.

The integrated public transport networks which most big city-regions had were wilfully destroyed in 1986 with the deregulation (and later privatisation) of buses. This was one of the most destructive of all Margaret Thatcher’s policies, and it is shameful that The Scottish Government has continued to maintain it for more than quarter of a century of devolution. With the Better Buses for Strathclyde campaign, we are doing all we can to get our region’s buses back in public control.

If you like the T-Shirt, come down to the exhibition in September and you’ll be able to get one there! And, if you'd like to have a nosey round my studio, I'm also planning to take part in the Open Studios at Wasps Artists' Studios - Hanson Street, Glasgow on Sat 3 October 😊 See you there! @followers
... See MoreSee Less

2 weeks ago
View on Facebook

4 CommentsComment on Facebook

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

2 months ago
View on Facebook

0 CommentsComment on Facebook

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
... See MoreSee Less

3 months ago
View on Facebook

1 CommentsComment on Facebook

"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

4 months ago
View on Facebook

0 CommentsComment on Facebook

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

4 months ago
View on Facebook

3 CommentsComment on Facebook

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

5 months ago
View on Facebook

0 CommentsComment on Facebook

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

6 months ago
View on Facebook

0 CommentsComment on Facebook

Image attachment
Image attachment

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
... See MoreSee Less

7 months ago
View on Facebook

0 CommentsComment on Facebook

Load More

Commodities

  • The Glasgow Effect (First Edition) The Glasgow Effect: A Tale of Class, Capitalism & Carbon Footprint £10.00 – £12.00Price range: £10.00 through £12.00
  • The Quotidian Factor Badge The Quotidian Factor Badge £2.00
  • Hen Weekend Bag Hen Weekend Bag £10.00
  • Channel Swimming Challenge Logbook Channel Swimming Challenge Logbook £3.00
  • Gold Card Adventures Poster Gold Card Adventures Poster £5.00
  • Day-to-Day Data Book Day-to-Day Data Book £20.00
  • Part-time Book Part-time Book £10.00
  • Tea Blog Sticker Tea Blog Sticker £1.00
  • Bring Back British Rail Sticker Bring Back British Rail Sticker £3.00

Contact

  • Newsletter Archive
  • Website Archive / Credits
  • Blatant Self-Promotion
  • Twitter Boycott
  • Instagram
  • Video Archive
  • Audio Archive / Podcast
  • Publications Archive
  • Events
  • ellie@ellieharrison.com

Small Print

  • Creative Commons Licence
  • Environmental Policy
This website runs on green hosting - verified by thegreenwebfoundation.org
0.5g of CO2/viewWebsite Carbon

Cleaner than 48% of pages tested