ABOUT

Biography

Eleanor Carney comes from a rural village called Carlton Miniott, west of the better-known market town, Thirsk. Originally her family came from the London area. She moved to Sunderland while she studies Glass and Ceramics at the National Glass Centre (NGC), with Sunderland University.

Eleanor’s family had always encouraged creativity and it so happened that she and her twin sister were best suited for the arts over academics.

Initially, it was believed by her close relatives she would go into textiles or jewellery making but from a whim, Eleanor discovered kiln glass and throwing on the wheel during her time at York collage. Having enjoyed the mediums immensely she then pursued a degree in them and dedicate the next five years of her life to learning the techniques and history.

​

The current influence on her work is a chronic condition known as Crohn’s Disease, an Inflammatory Bowel Disease or IBD for short. During the summer of 2019, her health declined and grew rapidly worse until she was placed on a new medication at the end of 2020. She suffered a relapse of her condition which pulled Eleanor from her university work. Having taken a year out to recover she returned with the urge to make people aware of invisible illnesses like Crohn’s and Ulcerative Colitis.

To quote her on Crohn's inspired projects, “I would like people to come see my work and find beauty in the grotesque, meaning my wish is for the viewer is to see the craftmanship and heart that went into making this work, though its roots could be seen as depressing and gory.”     

Moving on from the BA to the MA of Visual Practice (Glass pathway- with Sunderland University) she produced her most recent work named “Phases” made in the medium of blown/ hot glass, The work is transparent so the viewer can witness the truthful stages of Eleanor's disease cycle. Though her Crohn's is controlled by medication, she has never found full remission, meaning when the half-life of her immunosuppressant runs out (during 8-week cycles) her condition becomes aggravated once more, causing affected areas of the disease to flare up again.