Emily Joy

Emily Joy (UK, 1982) is a socially engaged artist making sculpture, installation and performative work, and (as half of creative partnership ‘Periscope’) facilitator of public creative projects. Currently exploring Swiss glacial melt and the associated ecological and social impacts, her practice is centred around communication, empathy and environmental concerns. Her work focuses on two interconnected drives: Material engagement (interactions with common/earthen materials including clay and drawing on paper) and theoretical research (exploring commonalities/shared viewpoints). Both aspects are self-exploratory, subjective, and challenge personal limits, but are explored through public participatory activities.

Emily’s practice involves making and research that explores loss and human/other than human empathy, land-based nostalgia spanning countries and cultures, non-hierarchical participatory works, and the sharing of personal narratives to create new future possibilities focusing on shared responsibilities and development of empathy.

Emily is currently involved in a 12 month Arts Council funded period of research ‘Land, Earth, Empathy’, working with mentors Dr Elizabeth Hodson (anthropologist, GSA and KFI project, Aberdeen), Dougald Hine (culturemaker, Dark Mountain co-founder) and Jürg Alean (glaciologist and geologist).

She is a founder member of the artist group Quercus and half of creative partnership Periscope. As well as collaborating with artists and researchers, she has programmed events with writers and philosophers (including Brian Dillon, Mark Currie, Chris Norris). She was artist in residence at ecological research centre Mustarinda in Finland in 2018, artist in residence at Loughborough University 2019 and most recently at the Hardwick Gallery, University of Gloucestershire in 2020.

For more information on current work and research; www.giftsformothermnemosyne.wordpress.com