Eleanor has forged her own path through the creative industries for over 30 years, using her trademark maverick approaches, vitality, determination and resilience to carve out a roller coaster of a career. From discos under flyovers to toast as a form of religion. From hot tubs in Helsinki for homeless people, to hosting David Hockney's 80th Birthday party dressed as a dachshund, Eleanor's chutzpah has blown minds and enhanced lives.
In the noughties, as one of the team at Shunt, she revelled in co-creating the weekly curation and total rebuild of the 70,000 square feet of secret tunnels underneath London Bridge station. In 2009, as the Director of the Bradford Playhouse she 'pushed the boundaries of art more than most places dare'. - The Guardian. From 2010 - 2021, as Founder and Director of The Brick Box, she dreamt up and instigated innovative arts projects that challenged the status quo and reinvented blighted urban landscapes, using the Power of the People.
More recently, she toured a reclaimed, upcycled boat to the Yorkshire Sculpture Park, the Hepworth and the streets of West Yorkshire with a group of artists seeking sanctuary, as an artist in residence brought a derelict Georgian mansion back to life , and made a large-scale interactive installation entirely out of cheese. (No cheese was wasted.)
She has worked with a myriad of organisations and companies, including (but not limited to) the RIBA, the Govt of Rio de Janeiro, Artichoke, the Baltic Circle Festival, Central Saint Martins, the National Theatre, Battersea Arts Centre, Shambala festival, Leeds Light Night, the National Science and Media Museum, Leeds 2023, Fierce Festival, UNION Arts, Compass Live Art, BD25, and eighteen London boroughs. She played a critical role in getting Bradford's City of Culture bid over the line and is excited to see the young'uns takeover.
She is delighted to have joined the team at Emergency Exit Arts and looks forward to new creative adventures in London town and beyond.
This role is funded by the The National Heritage Lottery Fund