How Do I Open A PDF?

Madeleine Ellis

BA (Hons) Art and Design, Yr3
Madeleine Ellis Madeleine.Ellis@mail.bcu.ac.uk
BA (Hons) Art and Design, Yr3
2021
#Activist
#Educator
A yellow background with two circular objects. One is a knitted piece of fabric with ring pulls stitched into it. The words Useful Work are collaged on top. The other circular image shows a loaf of sourdough bread. The words useless toil are collaged below.
Useful Work by Madeleine Ellis

At the centre of my practice is my own self-care and self-maintenance (routine tasks that are required for my own survival/continuation). This has developed through my own struggle to sustain myself and an artistic practice simultaneously. I am influenced by the work of Mierle Laderman Ukeles, whose Manifesto for Maintenance Art has been a key document for me. Many people share this same practice, either for themselves or others, but the mundanity and repetition of these tasks mean this is an expectation rather than a choice. I am not trying to elevate these tasks or display them in galleries, but to recognise the significance and personal cost for myself and others who practice their creation in this way. 

Alongside this lies my production, which is focused on hand processes such as baking bread and knitting. These are, for various reasons, considered to be ‘craft’ or women’s work, so the research I have undertaken has often drawn from historical and contemporary marginalised groups. The significance of learning both processes and theory from those who are not here to teach it provides a sense of community, and isolation, mirroring my self-maintenance work, where despite the quantity of those performing these tasks there is little discussion and recognition around them. 

How Do I Open A PDF?

How Do I Open A PDF? is a virtual exhibition of works and ideas by graduates of BA (Hons) Art and Design. Covering a broad range of themes and contexts, the works explore what it means to operate as interdisciplinary artists and designers in 2021. There can be little doubt of the impact that Covid-19 has had a on this cohort, and yet, for all of the challenges, the students […]

Peers & Collaborators

Katie Walker
Katie Walker
Past Shows
#Activist
colourful crochet
Jessica Overdijk
Jessica Overdijk
How Do I Open A PDF?
#Activist #Dreamer #Storyteller
Image shows a fictional toy store with pink fluffy toy with a blue face. The toys lounge is sticking out. The toy is sitting on a lilic box and the walls are painted pink. A blue fluffy toy can also be seen, as can a small brown bear with a pink stomach.
Mazvydas Prokopovic
Mazvydas Prokopovic
How Do I Open A PDF?
#Activist #Educator #Storyteller
A black and white photograph shows the backs of two women as they walk towards a series of trees and small buildings in the distance. The photograph is a scan from the analogue film and details of the film can be seen at the top and bottom of the image, including the words Ilford HP5 Plus at the top and a series of light grey graphic shapes at the bottom.
Ashley Wilson
Ashley Wilson
BAAAD ANNUAL
#Activist #Historian #Storyteller