Ellie Harrison

  • About
  • Work
  • Search

exhibition

  • 2011 Exhibition

    Ha Ha Road

    12 Aug 2011
    QUAD, Derby

  • 2011 Exhibition

    Left to My Own Devices

    4 Aug 2011
    Inspace, Edinburgh

  • 2011 Social / Networks

    Work-a-thon for the Self-Employed

    Work-a-thon for the Self-Employed is a world record classification initiated by Harrison in 2011. It aims to encourage isolated freelance workers like herself to come together to attempt to break the record for ‘the most self-employed people working together (on their own individual projects) in the same place at the same time, over the course of a normal 9-to-5 day’.
    Project website

  • 2011 Installations
    The yellow on black sign installed outside Eastside Projects, Birmingham in 2013

    Early Warning Signs

    One of Harrison’s contributions to Two Degrees festival in 2011 and now on a life-long tour of UK arts venues. These four signs were designed to mimic those you might find outside a garage or a Bureau de Change. On a mission ‘promote’ climate change, they try hard to grab the attention of passers-by.
    Project website

  • 2011 Internet / Broadcasts

    Personal Political Broadcast

    For the third of 4 LIVE Broadcasts made over the course of a year (December 2010 – November 2011), Harrison explores the impact of political devolution on her own personal identity. Using a variety of regional accents, Harrison interprets the systems of government in use in Scotland, Wales and the wider UK, in order to make the case for electoral reform. (Duration: 14:38)

  • 2011 Exhibition

    Trajector Art Fair

    30 Apr 2011
    Brussels (Belgium)

  • 2011 Internet / Broadcasts

    UK Weather Report

    For the second of 4 LIVE Broadcasts made over the course of a year (December 2010 – November 2011), Harrison interprets the unusually cold weather experienced in the UK in December 2010. By observing the short-term impact these conditions had on retail sales in the run-up to Christmas, she raises questions about the long-term effect of capitalism on climate change. (Duration: 10:30)

  • 2011 Installations
    A Brief History of Privatisation installed at Watermans in 2011

    A Brief History of Privatisation

    An installation in which the oscillations in UK public service policy over the last century are re-enacted by an inner circle of electric massage chairs under the seedy glow of red, and then blue, neon.

  • 2011 Exhibition

    Touch Interactive

    2 Feb 2011
    The Public, West Bromwich

  • 2011 Exhibition

    Re-generation

    20 Jan 2011
    Plato Sanat, Istanbul (Turkey)

  • 2010 Internet / Broadcasts

    Transmission: Glasgow to London

    For the first of 4 LIVE Broadcasts made over the course of a year (December 2010 – November 2011), Harrison gives a rambling exploration of ethical compromise and political contradiction. Questioning how a person’s moral outlook and priorities may shift with age, she offers an insight into the life of a home-owning thirty-something in devolved Scotland. (Duration: 18:00)

  • 2010 Exhibition

    The History of Financial Crises

    7 Nov 2010
    Market Gallery, Glasgow

  • 2010 Exhibition

    Definite Article

    6 Aug 2010
    Künstlerhaus Bethanien, Berlin (Germany)

  • 2010 Performance / Events

    The History of Revolution: Ellie Harrison’s Fireworks Display

    Conceived as the sister work to The History of Financial Crises, this performance spectacle is a one-woman attempt to re-enact a chronology of ‘the history of revolution’ over the course of the last 360 years via the medium of pyrotechnics.

  • 2010 Installations
    Detail of Press Release at the Centre for Contemporary Arts, Glasgow in 2010

    Press Release

    Devised specifically for the context of the ‘degree show’. For the final three weeks of her Master of Fine Art course at Glasgow School of Art, Harrison made a conscious decision not to make any ‘work’, in favour of instead transforming her studio into a ‘press office’ and attempting to directly solicit the media coverage which many hope will come as a result of this much anticipated show.

  • 2010 Performance / Events

    General Election Drinking Game

    An endurance performance devised by Harrison to coincide with the 2010 UK general election. Four ‘players’ represented the main political parties – each attempting to drink one shot of lager for every seat in parliament their party won, live as the results came in throughout the night.
    Project website

  • 2010 Exhibition

    Vending Machine

    15 Apr 2010
    Glasgow Film Theatre

  • 2010 Exhibition

    Vending Machine

    15 Mar 2010
    Abandon Normal Devices, Lancaster

  • 2009 Exhibition

    GSA MFA Auction

    18 Dec 2009
    McLellan Galleries, Glasgow

  • 2009 Exhibition

    The Peckham Experiment

    28 Sep 2009
    Space Station Sixty-Five, London

  • 2009 Performance / Events

    Desk Chair Parade

    On Sunday 2 August 2009, Ellie Harrison & Adele Prince (Sports Day) staged the inaugural Desk Chair Parade took place in Manchester as part of We are the Champions – Castlefield Gallery’s 25th Anniversary. A group of willing volunteers – office workers, shoppers and gallery goers alike – embarked on a magnificent adventure, freewheeling through the streets on ordinary office chairs.

  • 2009 Installations
    Toytown installed at the Newbery Gallery, Glasgow School of Art in 2009

    Toytown

    The sister installation to Vending Machine, this piece features a dilapidated 1980s kid’s car ride which starts up and offers people free rides when news relating to the recession makes the headlines on the BBC News RSS feed.

  • 2009 Exhibition

    Capitalyst

    5 May 2009
    Catalyst Arts, Belfast

  • 2009 Installations
    Vending Machine installed at the Viewpoint Gallery, Plymouth College of Art in 2009

    Vending Machine

    An installation for which an old vending machine is reprogrammed to release snacks only when news relating to the recession makes the headlines on the BBC News RSS feed.

← 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
3,022
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

"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

3 weeks 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

3 weeks ago
View on Facebook

2 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

1 month 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

3 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

4 months ago
View on Facebook

0 CommentsComment on Facebook

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

4 months ago
View on Facebook

0 CommentsComment on Facebook

🚶🚲🚍🚇🚉 I was honoured to be invited to discuss my activism with Bring Back British Rail, Get Glasgow Moving & Better Buses for Strathclyde at ETF's 𝘉𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘈𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘉𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘗𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘤 𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 conference at KVS Brussels 🙌 @followers ... See MoreSee Less

4 months ago
View on Facebook

1 CommentsComment on Facebook

Why are we still waiting for better buses? 🚌 Check out this brilliant new animation by Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design, University of Dundee graduate Sooz Reilly which we launched this week as part of the Better Buses for Strathclyde campaign. Please take two minutes to 𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗹 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗠𝗦𝗣𝘀 to demand action 👇 @followers
📨 betterbuses.uk/strathclyde/#email
... See MoreSee Less

6 months ago
View on Facebook

0 CommentsComment on Facebook

Load More

Commodities

  • Tea Blog Sticker Tea Blog Sticker £1.00
  • Gold Card Adventures Poster Gold Card Adventures Poster £5.00
  • Hen Weekend Bag Hen Weekend Bag £10.00
  • Confessions of a Recovering Data Collector Book Confessions of a Recovering Data Collector £10.00
  • Ellie & Oliver Show T-Shirt Ellie & Oliver Show T-Shirt £20.00
  • Channel Swimming Challenge Logbook Channel Swimming Challenge Logbook £3.00
  • 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 – £12.00Price range: £10.00 through £12.00
  • 4 Live Broadcasts DVD 4 LIVE Broadcasts DVD £20.00

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