Artist statement
I am interested in mobility - of people, things and data - and in the impact this has upon the sense of self both when alone and as part of a community. With an ever-increasing number of friends and contacts spread ever further across the globe, how many of us actually know our neighbours? And with a mobile phone in your pocket, why ask a stranger on the street for directions? On the other hand, it would never be possible to remain simultaneously in contact with so many people, flung so far across the globe, without these technologies. Social networks and the modes and methods in which we communicate today, are having a profound impact on how we navigate and experience the world, geographically, socially, politically and philosophically.
My work may be understood to be in two parts. One is fairly quiet photo and video work. I gather photographs in my daily life, which I later edit to create series and sets. My video is usually shot with fixed frame and sound as recorded on site. It provides a window on the world for a few minutes, like an extended photograph. I find it interesting that it can be easier to give one's attention to something that is mediated (via video or film) as opposed to sitting for ten minutes and watching an actual view. In this way I hope that my work can offer some space for quiet contemplation, as well as for highlighting the presence of beauty in everyday situations.
The other side of my practice is more participatory, where I involve others in the image-making process. I do this either though the distribution of cameras (as in The Broadway House Photo Project and The Trans Siberian Project) or through conversation with my subjects (as in The George Richmond Portrait Project.) In this way the images produced through these projects are the result of collaboration rather than ‘taking’ pictures according to what only I see. By working in this way, I step away from the traditional role of photographer as outside spectator. Instead I am forced to interact with the community or cultural context I am working with(in). The Art Project provides an excuse for me to communicate with people I would not otherwise have the opportunity to meet.
I am also interested in the relationship between digital and analogue photography and the impact this shift of image creation and distribution has upon our sense of history, archiving and memory as well as upon language.
Qualifications and training
- 2010 Goldrausch Kuenstlerinnen Projekt IT, Goldrausch Pavilion, Berlin
- 2007 FourCorners Professional Development Programme, FourCorners, Roman Road, London E3
- 2003 MA Fine Art, Central Saint Martins College of Art & Design, London University of the Arts
- 2001 First year of MA Curating Contemporary Art, Royal College of Art, London
- 1998 First Class degree in History of Art, University of Leeds, Leeds
Employment
- 2011 Senior Lecturer in Photography, Coventry University, Coventry
- 2007 Script writer of Audio Tours for Museums & Galleries, National Gallery of Ireland, New Walk Museum, Harris Museum & others, Various in UK and Ireland
- 2006 Creative Project Manager, Acoustiguide Ltd, London (more info)
- 2000 Visual Arts Assessor, London Arts Board, London
- 2000 Network Manager: built pan-European community, dotcom startup pock.net, London
- 1999 Intern, Franklin Furnace Archive, New York, USA
Solo exhibitions
- 2012 Change Settings, Techno Park Studios, Melbourne
- 2011 Moscow to Beijing (solo film screening), Milton Keynes Gallery, Milton Keynes, UK
- 2010 Moscow-Beijing, The Centre for Endless Progress, Berthelsdorferstr. 10, 12043 Berlin, Germany
- 2010 Some Places I Have Been To, Melusine, Lenaustrasse 5, 12047 Berlin-Neukölln
- 2009 Time and Place, Mobility & Creativity Conference, University of Surrey
- 2009 Time and Place, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Stadium Road, Woolwich, London SE18 4QH
- 2008 6"x4" Single Edition Series - Part 1, Clarke Gallery, Berlin
- 2007 Moscow - Beijing, Globe Hub, North Shields, Newcastle (more info)
- 2006 Moscow - Beijing, The Other Gallery, Banff Centre for the Arts, Alberta, Canada (more info)
- 2003 The Broadway House Photo Project, Seven Seven, London Fields, London
Group exhibitions
- 2013 Ties / Fförbindelse, TROVE, Birmingham
- 2012 Ties / Fförbindelse, WIP Konsthall, Stockholm
- 2012 Absence / Presence, Hotel Paravent / Tete, Berlin
- 2012 BERLIN / BIRMINGHAM / BEYOND, mac birmingham, Birmingham (more info)
- 2011 Noises in the Void, Stuffinablank, http://www.stuffinablank.com/noisesinthevoid/
- 2010 W U N D E R K A M M E R in New York, Franklin Furnace Archive, Inc, New York City (more info)
- 2010 GLASS CRASH FEELING, Galerie September & Schaulager Galerie Barbara Thumm, Berlin
- 2010 Carte Blanche, Clarke Gallery, Neukoelln, Berlin
- 2009 The Gitter Arty, Lee Campbell Projects, London (more info)
- 2009 Splashback, Clarke Gallery, Berlin, Germany (more info)
- 2009 Home Grown, Artillerie, Berlin, Germany (more info)
- 2009 The End... And?, The Latin Collector, New York City (more info)
- 2008 In Transition Russia 2008, National Centre for Contemporary Art (NCCA), Moscow
- 2008 In Transition Russia 2008, Ekaterinburg Museum of Fine Arts (NCCA), Ekaterinburg, Russia
- 2008 Open Studios, Absorb Arts, Dalston, London
- 2008 Filmobile, London Gallery West, University of Westminster, Harrow
- 2007 The Journey/Moscow - Beijing, Gallery West, University of Westminster (more info)
- 2007 Urban Space, Various, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Berlin, Germany; Fotopub, Slovenia; Brasilia, Brazil (more info)
- 2006 Capturing the Moving Mind, Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art, Helsinki, Finland (more info)
- 2005 All For Show, Touring video show going to USA, New Zealand, Canada, UK
- 2003 Touch & Go, Space 44, Bow, London
- 2003 MA Show, Central Saint Martins School of Art & Design, London
- 2003 You Are Here (Usted Esta Aqui), Espacio La Rebeca, Bogata, Columbia
- 2003 Flinch, Seven Seven, London Fields, London
- 2003 Pow! Wow!, Tardis Studios, Clerkenwell, London
Curated projects
- 2012 FRAME_birmingham, Clarke Gallery in 30 different venues across Birmingham, www.projectframe.net & at 30 different venues across the city
- 2012 Joint Stock, The Old Joint Stock, Birmingham
- 2012 BERLIN / BIRMINGHAM / BEYOND / for Allotment, mac birmingham, Birmingham
- 2012 The Mobility Project, Clarke Gallery at Meter Room, Meter Room, Coventry
- 2011 The Mobility Project, Clarke Gallery at Suvi Lehtinen Gallery, Berlin
- 2010 WUNDERKAMMER, Clarke Gallery, The Eastern Edge Gallery, Berlin, St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada, Franklin Furnace, New York and touring
- 2009 Splashback, Clarke Gallery, Berlin
- 2009 Come by Liz Fletcher, Clarke Gallery, Berlin (more info)
- 2009 American Seed by Natasha Wheat, Clarke Gallery, Berlin
- 2009 Harz by Alexander Heaton, Clarke Gallery, Berlin
- 2009 Archive Books by Victoria Lucas, Clarke Gallery, Berlin
- 2008 Freundschaft in der Feuerwehr - solo show by Christian Sievers, Clarke Gallery, Berlin
Intervention
- 2005 Alternative Funding Strategies, Ebay.co.uk (more info)
Artist talks
- 2009 The Single Edition Photo in the Digital Age, Mobility & Creativity Conference, University of Surrey
- 2009 IN DISCUSSION 2) Elly Clarke 'Time and Place', Elixir Gallery, Woolwich (more info)
- 2008 Alternative methods of documenting communities, Srishti School of Art, Design & Technology, Bangalore, India
- 2007 The Journey/Moscow - Beijing, Gallery West, University of Westminster (more info)
- 2005 Travel Agents: I cannot see everything from this position, Centre for Mobility Research (CeMoRe), Lancaster University
- 2004 Trespassers Symposium, Rooseum, Malmo, Sweden
Workshops
- 2008 Understanding 'Community', Srishti School of Art, Design & Technology, Bangalore, India
- 2005 Golden Parrot Guest House, video installation, Conference: Mobilising Hospitality, Lancaster University
- 2005 Capturing the Moving Mind, Conference organised by Ephemera, on board the Trans Siberian Train Moscow to Bejing
- 2004 Trespassers Symposium, paper and panel discussion, Rooseum, Malmo, Sweden
Residencies
- 2006 The Future of Idea Art, The Banff Centre for the Arts, Canada
Corporate commissions
- 2013 Thrift Radiates Happiness, Birmingham Municipal Bank with RIBA, Aedas & TROVE, Birmingham
Competitions, prizes and awards
- 2012 Arts Council Grants for the Arts Award for FRAME_birmingham, Elly Clarke / Clarke Gallery, Birmingham
- 2011 Arts Council Grants for the Arts Award for bringing The Mobility Project from Berlin to Coventry, Elly Clarke / Clarke Gallery, Meter Room, Coventry
- 2010 Grant towards the George Richmond Portrait Project, from the de Laszlo Foundation, London
- 2008 Finalist in London Photographic Awards Still Life 4 Competition, http://london-photographic-association.com/site/win_by_comp.php?series_f=0&coid=60&fid=0,10,247, London
- 2006 Future of Idea Art, The Banff Centre for the Arts, Canada (more info)
- 2003 The Broadway House Photo Project, Funded by Hackney Community Empowerment Network, Hackney, London
Educational experience - primary
- 2007 You Photograph Me, I Photograph You, Class 7, Lathom Junior School, East Ham, London (more info)
Educational experience - tertiary
- 2008 Visiting Artist, Srishti School of Art, Design & Technology, Bangalore, India
- 2007 Visiting Artist Lecture, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
Site specific
- 2006 Air Time-Spaces: New Methods for Researching Mobilities, Centre for Mobility Research, Lancaster University
Publications
- 2012 FRAME_birmingham guide
- 2010 24/7 Contact - catalogue produced to accompany end of year exhibition with Goldrausch Kuenstlerinnen Projekt. Essay by Erin Manns.
- 2008 In Transition Russia 2008: Catalogue
- 2008 "The Journey/Moscow to Beijing" - Review in an magazine, January 2008, p. 7
- 2007 The Journey/Moscow - Beijing (more info)
- 2007 Control Magazine - Issue 17 (more info)
- 2007 Mobilizing Hospitality: The Ethics of Social Relations in a Mobile World, Eds. Sarah Gibson & Jennie Germann Molz, Published by Ashgate (more info)
- 2007 Food Mobilities: Traveling, Dwelling, and Eating Cultures by Sarah Gibson
- 2005 The Trans Siberian Photo Project by Elly Clarke, published in FRAMEWORK Issue 4/ Dec ’05
Other
- 2009 Mobility and Creativity, University of Surrey, Guildford (more info)
- 2008 Alternative Funding Strategy: India, Bangalore - Madurai, Madurai & Bangalore (more info)
- 2006 Air Time-Spaces Conference, Centre for Mobility Research (CeMoRe), Lancaster University (more info)
Web links - gallery/work/projects
Web links - article/press
Personal website
