The Dover prize would allow me to complete and exhibit a new, ambitious, large-scale immersive installation. The installation would explore themes of perception, in particular disrupted perception induced by illness. It would focus on the visual subject of flora and how natural environments can ease perceptual instabilities and anxiety and create a meditative grounding effect. The installation would consist of a configuration of 3D fabric sculptures, using tensile structures, that take on natural plant derived forms. There would be two twin sets of fabric sculptures, one set engulfed in vibrant digital photographic prints, the other flooded with dizzying video projections. Vivid colour, abstract imagery, and fabric curves and points, would invite the viewer to immerse themselves in the altered perceptual space.
The bursary would directly cover the cost of materials for the completion of the installation and its presentation. This would include the tensile fabric sculptures, digitally printed fabric, wooden housing for two video projectors, and floor cushions/ seating to surround the installation. Sample materials would also be purchased in the research and development stage of the project, including different qualities and opacities of fabric, and digital print samples. To ensure the installation is site-responsive, I would also use part of the bursary to travel to Darlington to visit and measure the exhibition space prior to the show.
I’ve recently had a breakthrough with my art practice. In the past I wanted to incorporate still photography into my monochrome sculptural installations. The photography had always conflicted with the moving images and the sculptures. However, engulfing the entire sculptural installation in digital photographic print and presenting it alongside the video, has proved a successful way of merging the two elements. The Dover prize would allow me to realise this new development as well as pushing the boundaries of my art practice by producing my largest installation to date.
When presenting the finished installation, seating and floor cushions will be arranged in the space to be inclusive of those who need to sit/ lie down and to encourage viewers to pause, rest, and completely immerse themselves within the installation.
The Dover Prize would give me the opportunity to present a vibrant, immersive installation in Darlington; one that explores perception, disability, and the body’s relationship to its environment. It would offer a platform to exhibit new work and connect with audiences in and around the region, particularly those with lived experience of long-term health conditions.
My work is both experimental and socially engaged. It aims to translate the experience of illness-induced changes in perception into an immersive sensory environment, using colourful imagery, sculptural forms, and dizzying video projection. The work aims to immerse viewers in an altered perceptual space and to open up conversations around invisible illness, and sensory experience.
Accessibility is central to my approach. Free, inclusive spaces that allow for rest, such as seating/ areas to lie down, are rare in the UK. I want to create an environment where audiences of all abilities can fully engage with the work in comfort. A potential suitable location would be Darlington Libraries Art Gallery. By bringing this installation to Darlington, I hope to share a high impact, dynamic, artwork that will contribute to the area’s creative landscape, and encourage more inclusive ways of exhibiting and experiencing contemporary art.
I’m Ella Husbands, a Brighton-based artist whose work explores notions of disrupted perception, in particular altered, distorted and fragmented perception induced by illness. My recent body of work has developed alongside my continued recovery from chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS/ME). The contraction of CFS resulted in my own sensory perceptions being altered; where movement through the world produced perceptual instabilities, and a feeling of sensory overload. I often create large scale video installations that aim to draw the viewer into an environment that expresses altered sensory perception. I employ light, colour and movement to disorientate the viewer and allow them to think about their relationship between their own senses and their environment. My work often combines large scale geometric sculptures, with layered, dizzying video projections, of both abstract and familiar imagery, to draw the viewer into this altered world. My work often displays a hyper-real representation of our surroundings, reflecting elements of urban and natural environments through a disrupted lens. My work has been exhibited across the UK and internationally including at: Huxley-Parlour Gallery, London, Menier Gallery, London, ONCA, Brighton, Luren Gallery, Suzhou, China, The Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh, The Koppel Project Central, London, Trinity Art Gallery, London, Old Parcels Office, Scarborough, Coutts Bank, The Strand, London. Most recently I exhibited new work at Phoenix Art Space, Brighton, which I developed during their Winter Studio Residency (2025).
I graduated with a 1st Class BA in Fine Art from Central Saint Martin’s in 2017. I studied on the 4D pathway which explored time-based, durational performative and interdisciplinary practices.
My work has been recognised by several awards: runner up in the Hix Award (2017), finalist in the Signature Art prize (2018), shortlisted for the Zealous Emerge Art Prize (2018). I was also a recipient of the Fourbythree programme by Huxley Parlour Gallery, London (2022). Each recipient was awarded £5000 to produce new work and realise a solo exhibition at Huxley Parlour Gallery. Recipients also received a year long mentorship programme to support their artistic development.
From 2018- 2020, I was an active member of an artist-led collective at ONCA Gallery, Brighton. We organised a series of group exhibitions, residencies, artist talks, and public workshops. We also ran a series of private workshops with RISE a local charity helping those affected by domestic abuse, alongside a licensed art therapist.
My artwork has been featured in Brighton Journal, Cass Art, and Elephant Magazine (online). My work was also featured in the Artists’ Directory of Aesthetica Magazine, issue #78.
In January 2025, I took part in the highly competitive Winter Studio Residency at Phoenix Art Space in Brighton. I was selected, alongside three other artists, to participate in the residency. We were given access to the main gallery space, which operated as our studio for six weeks. The residency culminated in a public group exhibition at Phoenix, showcasing the work developed during the programme.
Email: ellahusbands@gmail.com
Address: Flat A (BSMT), Palmeira Mansions,, 13 Church Rd, Hove, East Sussex, BN32FA, GB
Local Authority: Brighton & Hove City Council
