ESTELLE WOOLLEY

I have a deep-rooted affinity with the countryside and its resources, shaped by my upbringing. The cyclical processes of nature inspire me, as do the seemingly insignificant details we often pass by. My work explores the ways we interact with nature: how we intervene, react, and how nature, in turn, responds.

 

Through a minimal and poetic use of materials which are often very fragile in nature, I investigate possible narratives and layers of meaning. By subtly manipulating these elements, I aim to renew a sense of curiosity while highlighting the inherent beauty of the forms used.

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My making process embraces a Heideggerian approach to ‘being in the world,’ focusing on close observation, collecting and foraging for materials, sounds, and ideas, and transforming them into new poetic readings.

 

Academic research examines the interplay between attraction and repulsion - the visceral experience of ‘feeling.’ Concepts of the uncanny, disgust, abjection, curiosity, the sublime, and beauty are central to my exploration of materials and themes.

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I am drawn to found objects - elements taken directly from reality, rather than crafting forms that merely imitate something else.

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My interdisciplinary practice allows ideas to dictate their final form. While my passion for combining natural objects into sculptural assemblages and installation remains central, my work extends across performance, site-specific intervention, sound, music, photography, film, collage, printmaking, drawing and painting. Recent projects have been highly collaborative, involving ephemeral garment sculptures and partnerships with models, photographers, videographers, taxidermists, writers and other creatives.

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