ELLEN FERRIER

Field Work
Field Work is an ode to the wild and wayward ones, the verdant vagabonds, the edge-dwellers. It is an exploration of materials both regenerative and reparative. It is a hopeful vision for the future.

Nestled within a field of nomadic plants, budding building blocks of our future present themselves. Made from the very same undervalued and overlooked species that surround them, these materials inspire imaginings of a thriving future – one that is rooted in an ethics of care, connection and reciprocity with the natural world.

What sparked the idea for the work you are exhibiting at SWELL this year?

‘Field Work’ was first conceived for and exhibited at Cementa Festival 2024 in Kandos. Its materials are derived from two places – half of the ‘invasive’ flora foraged from the Central West of NSW, and half from my home at the time in the Northern Rivers. The work felt equally resonant in both regions, each shaping its form and meaning. SWELL offers the chance to re-present the piece in an entirely new context – poised on the coast – to see how it might shift, adapt, and take on new meaning in dialogue with the coastal environment.

What’s something people might not realise about the process behind your work?

My work is incredibly labour-intensive! For ‘Field Work’, I foraged all the flora by hand, processed it into fine particles myself, made the moulds, and over the two months I would measure, mix and firmly press the plant substrate in by hand.

My practice is driven by material exploration and experimentation, and is very much process-led. The form, and sometimes even the intent of the work shifts and transforms throughout its making. I see the materials as collaborators in their own right, with agency and proclivities of their own – so I stay open to new curiosities, discoveries, and directions that emerge along the way.

What role does location or environment play in your sculptures?

Location is integral to my practice – each work is deeply rooted in place. Ecological care is at the core of my creative ethos, so I source all materials second-hand or forage them from regenerative materiality on the land. As a result, the works often carry the energy, spirit, colours, tones, and textures of the places they’re created. My practice engages in conversations around deep ecology and our entanglement with the materiality and myriad species of the land – and, in turn, our responsibility to reconnect, to respect, and to de-centre ourselves within that ever-evolving, fluid relationship.

Is there a moment or memory that shaped you as an artist?

Back when I was still studying Interior Architecture I volunteered at the Sydney Biennale and invigilated an installation by Philip Beesley – an architect and artist who created these speculative nature-scapes using an intricate lattice of luminous acrylic fibres, tendrils and feathers that would curl and caress in response to human activity. Suspended flasks contained essential oils that would heat up with increased audience engagement, thereby releasing their scents. It was a seemingly magical, responsive architectural environment.

This idea of art as a means to explore and present future possibilities deeply resonated with me. It expanded my understanding of the role of art, revealing its capacity to construct and posit new worlds, as a result of its radically speculative nature.

What keeps you coming back to sculpture as a form of expression?

Every time I’m in the studio, I’m learning. My lens on the world expands and shifts. An artistic practice teaches you how to observe your surroundings, to stay curious, and to inhabit states of child-like wonder and play. These open-ended, imaginative ways of thinking are so important to reconnect with. There’s something extraordinary about transforming an intangible idea into a work with tangible, affective presence – something that exists in the world, acting upon it and being acted upon in return.

If you could install your work anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?

You mean aside from the likes of the Guggenheim and anything designed by Tadao Ando? 😉

I love exhibiting my work within old industrial architecture and dilapidated stone buildings – spaces where air, water, and fire have softened and enriched the textures of walls, floors, and ceilings. When nature begins to reclaim these places – tendrils weaving over, under, and through, moss softening edges – it creates a beautiful marriage of materiality. These sites also give me a profound sense of hope, witnessing the resilience of nature and its will to thrive.

Instagram  @ellen.ferrier

Website  www.ellenferrier.com