Ellis, Nicola
Nicola Ellis’ work is shaped by relationships between people, materials and processes. She explores complex ecosystems and environments to understand how their internal workings interact to function as a whole.
Heavy industry has declined in the North of England, and our understanding of areas of the country with a strong industrial heritage is often distorted through political discourse and ideology. Suckers and the other works in Ellis’ Retroactivity series (2019) were made during her residency at Ritherdon & Co Ltd., a family-owned manufacturer of steel enclosures based in Darwen, Lancashire. Oily marks have been left on the surface of the stainless steel by machinery and the hands of fabricators, as it moves through the manufacturing line. The artist has carefully applied a powder coating to the surface of the metal by hand, which was then baked to solidify the traces of human and machine interaction.
- Artwork Details: 59.5 x 49 x 0.2cm
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- Material description: Scrap stainless steel and powder coating
- Credit line: © the artist. Image courtesy of the artist
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- Accession number: ACC20/2021