You need to be focused on what you want to achieve and very self-motivated
What is your job?
I'm a freelance artist.
What does your job involve?
I make large scale lit sculptures for festivals and I run visual arts projects - mainly with young people. I work by myself and draw on the skills of musicians, lighting designers, engineers and other artists to help me realise large scale projects, such as The Wishing Tree for the Thames Festival 2008. I used to work collaboratively with Maximilian Marshall, as Lumina. We created a Butterfly House for the 2007 Thames Festival, designed a Pagoda for the Paradise Gardens Festival in Hackney and created a Birdcage sculpture for the Waterloo Regeneration area. You can see my work at www.emilytracy.co.uk.
How did you get to this point in your career?
I decided that I didn’t want to follow the fine art / gallery route, because I was more interested in working with people and making work in public spaces. So I got involved with running community arts projects and holding workshops. My first break was a residency at the FruitMarket Gallery in Edinburgh.
What training did you do and where?
I did a Foundation course at the Central School of Art (now Central St Martins) because my art teacher encouraged me to go there. Afterwards, I took a degree in painting at the Brighton Polytechnic, now Brighton University. That made me very self-reliant because they just gave you a studio space and left you to get on with it. You had to make your own projects and find your own way. Next I did a post-graduate course at the Slade, which gave me extra time to develop my ideas.
Which piece of work are you most proud of?
It’s probably The Wishing Tree, a 2008 Thames Festival project that that involved 120 primary schools. The tree was made from materials and tetra pack cartons saved from landfill and with 4,200 wishes and pledges from school children. By day, light filtered through thousands of transparent box art works created during the schools workshops; by night it become a vivid and bold grid of colour and images. I worked on this piece with artists, carpenters, engineers, scaffolders and a lighting designer. It was a huge feat of co-ordination which went relatively smoothly, was delivered on time and got a good response from audiences and the schools that took part.
What do you need to succeed in your industry?
You need to be focused on what you want to achieve and very self-motivated. At the beginning, I made my own projects, then asked various organisations and charities for funding, rather than waiting for funding before I started on a project.
Who’s your work hero / heroine?
Deb Mullins, Creative Director of Emergency Exit Arts. For years, Deb’s created exciting arts projects in the public realm.
What inspired you to do this type of work?
Seeing large scale processions and artworks in public spaces. Also, I’ve always loved making things. As long as I’ve got a pair of scissors in my hands, I’m happy.
What do your friend/family think of the work you do?
My mother’s an artist and has always been happy about what I do, although my father used to want me to do something more conventional, with a steady income. But I’ve been making my own living for a long time now and they’re both very supportive. I think it’s very damaging if parents try to push their kids to do something they don’t want to do.
What are your tips for anyone wanting to do your job?
I’d do as much volunteer work as I could possibly afford to do. It’s a great way of gaining experience and getting right in there. It was especially valuable doing the foundation degree, having time to explore what I wanted to do, and doing the degree and postgraduate course meant I met other people doing similar things and created a support network. And you have to keep going because it takes a long time to establish yourself. So many people drop out because they can’t find their way.
Creative inspirations
James Turrell
His light installations and interventions are astounding and beautiful.
The Sultan’s Elephant
This 42 ton mechanical elephant created by magicians Royal de Luxe was an extraordinary piece of work which amazed huge audiences and took over the streets.
Dover Bookshop, London WC1
This bookshop is full of copyright free images, brilliant books on animals, patterns through the ages and images from different countries and times.
The Children’s Scrap Project in Hackney, East London
This is a brilliant resource where they collect materials usually thrown away by businesses including fabric, paper and an assortment of strange and weird stuff.
Buildings with history
I especially like Osterley House in Middlesex, Sutton House – a Tudor house in Hackney, and The House in the Clouds – a converted water tower in Thorpeness, Suffolk. These places contain a mass of stories, objects and atmosphere to provide inspiration.
Chinese paper cuts
I love the beautiful, simple, pared-down images.
Shunt Theatre at London Bridge
Shunt Theatre produces site-specific theatre in mad locations.
Little Angel Theatre
This company creates fantastic productions using puppets and imagination.
Catalogues - for lighting, art materials, lifting vehicles and office equipment
New materials and equipment often spark new ways of doing something and new ideas.
The British Museum
There are so many different ways of making art on display.
If you would like advice on creative careers and courses, contact a Creative Way Careers Adviser - either Matt Ball on m.ball@uel.ac.uk / 07889 001764 or Sarah Comerford on s.comerford@uel.ac.uk / 07515 051509.