Ellie Harrison

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  • 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)

  • Performance / Events

    The Glasgow Effect

    The Glasgow Effect was a multi-layered ‘research project‘, which took place in 2016. Its central provocation was that Harrison would refuse to travel beyond Glasgow’s city limits, or use any vehicles except her bike, for a whole calendar year (1 January – 31 December 2016). On 8 January 2017, she gave a talk about the work at the Glasgow Film Theatre. On 4 November 2019, she published a book providing the complete context for her thinking and action.

  • Lectures
    Ethics: Extremism & Compromise

    Ethics: Extremism & Compromise

    A talk by Ellie Harrison exploring the relationship between her life choices and her work as an artist for Artquest’s Practice 360° programme at Camden Arts Centre in London.

  • Writing

    Eat 22: The Personal is Political

    One decade on, Harrison reflects on her seminal 2002 project Eat 22, and examines her persistent interest in ‘consumption‘ in recent works: Vending Machine, The Other Forecast and Anti-Capitalist Aerobics. An edited version of this text was published in the ‘Food Growing‘ chapter of Playing For Time (p.177-179) in 2015. (Word count: 692)

  • 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

  • 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.

  • Installations
    The History of Financial Crises installed at Mejan Labs, Stockholm in 2009

    The History of Financial Crises

    An installation in which the turbulent history of capitalism over the last century is re-enacted each day by a row of popcorn making machines.

  • 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.

  • Internet / Broadcasts

    Eat 22

    A year after completing Greed, Harrison began Eat 22 (11 March 2001 – 11 March 2002), her seminal data collecting project. For one year and one day she photographed and recorded information about everything that she ate. Eat 22 is now on permanent display at the Wellcome Collection in London.
    Project website

  • 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

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 – 2023).
In autumn 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. 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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This year marks the beginning of the end for bus deregulation 🚍✊ Read more about the impact of my ‘Bus Regulation: The Musical’ Trilogy in Greater Manchester, Merseyside & Strathclyde in this new blog for the University of Dundee & Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design, University of Dundee websites 👇 ... See MoreSee Less

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Turning the tide on bus deregulation

www.dundee.ac.uk

6 days ago
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3 CommentsComment on Facebook

That’s a wonderful story Ellie. Well done!!

So proud of you!

Absolutely brilliant, Ellie

Im so excited to be speaking on the panel at this sustainable travel event at Perth Theatre and Concert Hall this Saturday! 🚍 Ill be offering my advice to Tactran on how they can help #TakeBackOurBuses ✊

I'm so excited to be speaking on the panel at this sustainable travel event at Perth Theatre and Concert Hall this Saturday! 🚍 I'll be offering my advice to Tactran on how they can help #TakeBackOurBuses ✊ ... See MoreSee Less

3 weeks ago
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Great day at The Scottish Parliament yesterday presenting Get Glasgow Movings new Centre for Cities report to MSPs 🤩

Great day at The Scottish Parliament yesterday presenting Get Glasgow Moving's new Centre for Cities report to MSPs 🤩 ... See MoreSee Less

3 weeks ago
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PlayCentre for Cities Report on BBC Reporting Scotland

Fab piece on last night's BBC Reporting Scotland too 🥳 ... See MoreSee Less

1 month ago
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Sign and share the Better Buses for Strathclyde petition here 👇 www.megaphone.org.uk/petitions/take-strathclyde-s-buses-back-into-public-control

Read the Centre for Cities report here 👇 www.centreforcities.org/publication/miles-better-improving-public-transport-in-the-glasgow-city-r...

Hopefully it happens! As long as the politicians and transport authorities, don’t come under the influence of greedy big bus plc when making their final policy decisions!

PlayCentre for Cities report on STV News

Whoop! We made it to the STV News at Six 🥳 ... See MoreSee Less

1 month ago
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Sign and share the Better Buses for Strathclyde petition here 👇 www.megaphone.org.uk/petitions/take-strathclyde-s-buses-back-into-public-control

Read the Centre for Cities report here 👇 www.centreforcities.org/publication/miles-better-improving-public-transport-in-the-glasgow-city-r...

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