Elouise Spooner

I’m Elouise Spooner, or El for short, and I’m a fine artist from Shetland. I’m 20 years old and
have just finished with a first-class BA(Hons) in fine art from Shetland College. I’ve wanted to be
an artist since I was little and have been in different art courses for the last 7 years as a result of
that. In the future I plan to take this next year out to build up my CV and experience, before
undertaking a master’s in fine art.

In this installation, I wanted to channel the theme of girlhood, which I interpret as an
ungendered look into the youthful rebellion that everyone experiences, regardless of age. In my
practice, I find inspiration from my experiences and create work using graphic text and images
to discuss what it means to be a bit reckless and full of newfound freedom. I gravitate towards
immediacy and ruggedness in creation, so use found materials rather than professional art
materials. In this show, I used old furniture, clothes, bed sheets, cardboard, house paint and
household ‘trash’. Once collected, the process of turning these materials into artworks is
energetic, intuitive, and rather messy. I take inspiration from my life primarily; however, I also
pull inspiration from popular media, tattoos, poetry and song lyrics. Along with this, I ultimately
reject any form of professionalism when it comes to process, and value expression and fun over
perfectionism. I believe strongly in the value of a youthful voice and have worked hard to curate
my installation to reflect this rebellious, out-of-the-box attitude.