Ellie Harrison

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Tag Archives: energy

  • 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)

  • Lectures

    The RRAAF Report Launch Event

    Harrison outlines the ideas behind her new Radical Renewable Art + Activism Fund project at the Launch of The RRAAF Report at the Centre for Contemporary Arts in Glasgow.

  • Lectures

    The RRAAF Debate

    Harrison outlines the ideas behind her new Radical Renewable Art + Activism Fund project at the Shifting Power event at Beaconsfield in London.

  • Social / Networks

    Radical Renewable Art + Activism Fund

    Initiated by Harrison in 2015, the Radical Renewable Art + Activism Fund (RRAAF) aims to be a new and autonomous funding scheme, which uses renewable energy to offer ‘no strings attached’ grants for art-activist projects in the UK.
    Project website

  • Performance / Events

    The Global Race

    The Global Race is an absurd vision of an Olympic games of the future, in which the brilliance of human ‘innovation‘ means we no longer need to break a sweat! At an athletics track in central Berlin, a group of ‘elite athletes’ and members of the public competed in a series of races on Segways.

  • Performance / Events

    Anti-Capitalist Aerobics

    Originally created as a disruption during Invisible Dust’s Ways of Seeing Climate Change conference on 30 October 2013, Anti-Capitalist Aerobics engages delegates in an energy intensive workout in order to expose some of the fundamental contradictions in the way we live our lives.

  • Performance / Events

    The Other Forecast

    Recorded LIVE in front of a green screen, Harrison’s The Other Forecast offers her summary of the absurd consequences of capitalism, as a warning about the future we are heading towards if the system continues unchecked. Broadcast on the Big Screen at MediaCityUK in November 2013 as part of The Other Forecast project – a collaboration between Harrison & John O’Shea.
    Project website

  • Political Campaigns

    Power For The People

    Harrison launched Bring Back British Rail’s ‘sister campaign’ Power for the People in October 2013 in order to popularise the idea of returning the UK’s energy production and supply to public ownership. Together the campaigns aim to ‘join the dots’ between our most carbon-intensive industries and services to make evident the need to remove the profit-motive from all of them in order to meet the challenges of climate change.
    Campaign website

  • Installations
    Mass = Energy = Time installed at Colony, Birmingham in 2004

    Mass = Energy = Time

    This kinetic installation uses two found weight mechanism clocks. The lead weights which are normally used to power the clocks have been removed and replaced by foods (bread and bananas) of the same mass. The clocks continue to work as normal – powered by the gravitational potential energy inherent in the foods. Originally installed at Goldsmiths College in 2002 and then at the Colony in Birmingham in 2004.

  • Installations
    Tictac Typing & Peanut Typing installed at Peterborough Digital Arts in 2004

    TicTac Typing & Peanut Typing

    This installation features two Mac computer programmes made during the LabCulture digital arts residency in 2002. The programmes mimic the common typing test, but rather than telling you your speed or accuracy, they inform you of the equivalent number of TicTacs or peanuts you are burning off whilst typing. Bowls of TicTacs and peanuts are installed alongside the two Macs for hungry participants.

  • Installations
    Potential Generator installed at Nottingham Trent University in 2001

    Potential Generator

    Created in 2001 for Harrison’s Degree Show at Nottingham Trent University, this kinetic sculpture is designed to give gravitational potential energy to apples. Apples are placed on the escalator device at the rear of the bike and, when pedalled, are transported to a height above the ground proportional to their chemical energy content. A similar, proportionally larger, Potential Generator for doughnuts was also designed.

  • Installations
    Kinetic Cake vs Kinetic Carrot installed at Nottingham Trent University in 2000

    Kinetic Cake vs Kinetic Carrot

    A kinetic installation created by Harrison in December 2000 whilst studying at Nottingham Trent University. As a precursor to Potential Generator, this installation visualises the energy content of a carrot and a chocolate éclair, by racing them around two facing train tracks at equivalent speeds – the éclair being just over three times faster than the vegetable of a comparable size.

  • Installations
    Superfluous Consumption installed at Nottingham Trent University in 2000

    Superfluous Consumption

    Harrison’s first interactive installation (created in December 2000 whilst studying at Nottingham Trent University) draws an analogy between the unnecessary energy we consume in snack foods and that consumed by the electrical appliances we use for entertainment and comfort in our homes. The viewer is invited into an arm chair to watch various snack foods appear on a TV screen for durations equivalent to their energy content.

  • Internet / Broadcasts

    Greed

    Harrison’s obsession with data collecting – documenting elements of her own everyday life – began in New York City in February 2000 with Greed. During a four-day visit to the city, Harrison challenged herself to eat as much as was humanly possible and to document everything single last bit.
    Project website

  • Exhibition

    The Race

    27 Jan 2000
    Threshold, Bonington Gallery, Nottingham

News

Ellie Harrison is an artist & activist based in Glasgow (UK). In January 2023 she won the Stephen Fry Public Engagement Award for her ‘Bus Regulation: The Musical’ Trilogy in Greater Manchester, Strathclyde & Merseyside (2019 – 2022).
In autumn 2021, a new and updated 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. 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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So exciting to see the original 'Bus Regulation: The Musical' feature on Channel 4 News tonight! 🥳 It is four years since I staged it at Manchester Art Gallery in 2019 as part of the Better Buses for Greater Manchester campaign. I’ll be back at the gallery this Sunday 24 Sept, 3pm to give a special talk to celebrate the launch of the first phase of the Bee Network 🚍🐝 Don't miss this historic day! Book FREE tickets: beenetwork.eventbrite.com ... See MoreSee Less

1 week ago
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Watch the full clip explaining the disaster of bus deregulation here: www.facebook.com/BetterBusesforGM/posts/710724034418087

Thought of you as soon as I saw it on the news!

Dont miss Bus Regulation: The Musical & the fight for Greater Manchesters buses - my special artist’s talk, screening & discussion at Manchester Art Gallery on Sunday 24 September to celebrate the launch of the Bee Network 🚍🚉🚆🐝 Find out more and book FREE tickets: beenetwork.eventbrite.com

Don't miss Bus Regulation: The Musical & the fight for Greater Manchester's buses - my special artist’s talk, screening & discussion at Manchester Art Gallery on Sunday 24 September to celebrate the launch of the Bee Network 🚍🚉🚆🐝 Find out more and book FREE tickets: beenetwork.eventbrite.com ... See MoreSee Less

3 weeks ago
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I've been a tenant at Wasps Artists' Studios - Hanson Street, Glasgow since the end of 2010. I'm proud to be supporting this artist-led campaign to #SaveOurStudios ✊ Please help by signing & sharing our petition 👇 ... See MoreSee Less

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Help save artists' studios across Scotland

you.38degrees.org.uk

2 months ago
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Great coverage of the #SaveOurStudios campaign in this Saturday's HeraldScotland 👇https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/23748772.buzz-angry-wasps-glasgows-artists-fight-work/

Good luck Ellie

Artists benefit Glasgow. Save their studios!!

Signed!

Ellie do you have a E mail address ?

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Twelve years on. I'm still loving being the Agent for The Artists' Bond 🥳 ... See MoreSee Less

artistsbond.co.uk

artistsbond.co.uk

2 months ago
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When I first saw this I thought we'd won £225 million!

This Weds 2 August, 7pm - I'm delighted to talking about my book The Glasgow Effect: A Tale of Class, Capitalism & Carbon Footprint with the brilliant Katie Gallogly-Swan as part of Govanhill International Festival and Carnival 🥳 Get your FREE TICKET here 👇 ... See MoreSee Less

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

www.eventbrite.co.uk

2 months ago
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Commodities

  • Gold Card Adventures Poster Gold Card Adventures Poster £5.00
  • Bus Regulation: The Musical T-Shirt Bus Regulation: The Musical T-Shirt £15.00
  • The Glasgow Effect (First Edition) The Glasgow Effect: A Tale of Class, Capitalism & Carbon Footprint £10.00 – £14.00
  • Radical Renewable Art + Activism Fund Sticker £3.00
  • National Museum of Roller Derby Sticker National Museum of Roller Derby Sticker £1.00
  • Hen Weekend Bag Hen Weekend Bag + Badge £10.00
  • The Quotidian Factor Badge The Quotidian Factor Badge £1.00
  • Ellie & Oliver Show T-Shirt Ellie & Oliver Show T-Shirt £20.00
  • Channel Swimming Challenge Logbook Channel Swimming Challenge Logbook £2.00

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