Denny Ellis

Denny chose the University of Worcester because the Digital Arts Center offers an excellent range of resources and modules. Alongside delving into her creativity, she saw how she would be able to develop her skills, in order to explore unknown possibilities. She also wanted to culminate the 20 years of experience as a practitioner in the media arts and learn how to express herself in an academic setting. After working alone in her studio for many years, she could see the benefits of mixing with an emerging group of new media artists: all of this was available at Worcester.

 

Before coming to the University, Denny worked as a photographer, video artist, event producer, workshop facilitator, documenter and methodologist. Being dyslexic was a challenge that required additional application but this did not prevent Denny from gaining a First grade for her Independent Study project and critical report, and a First Class Honours on graduation. In her final year, Steve Boffy, the University’s Consultant Arts Advisor, introduced her to The Bell Ringers Association at Worcester Cathedral and, as a result, Denny created a short film for them that is to be shown in schools and churches around the world. She also initiated the submission of a group piece from a digital video module: it won a place in the 2009 Viewfinders Festival in Gloucestershire.

 

Reflecting on her course, Denny feels that the course enabled her to expand her practice, owing to the availability of excellent resources and also the fact that the lecturers challenged her on many levels: this gave her the opportunity to question deeply her creative process and progress her work accordingly.

 

As a mature student living off campus, Denny appreciated the sense of community in the Digital Arts Centre: she says that students who were half her age were very inclusive and always inviting her to nights out or to the student union for a drink.

 

This supportive environment also extended to the support she received from her dyslexic support worker who “was a rock: she helped me both practically and emotionally.”

 

Of her tutors, Denny says, “Worcester has some seriously inspiring people on board. We all connect with people for different reasons and I was extremely inspired by the Subject Leader, David James. His background of studying as a fine artist who then worked in ITV as a motion graphics designer fitted with my desire to constantly cross the bridge between fine art and practice in the corporate arena.”

 

Denny is continuing to develop her work as a freelance creative digital media practitioner and works on a variety of projects simultaneously. These include e-commerce websites, video installations, vj mix style films for corporations who want something different, weddings – both film and photography – commercial shoots and images for websites. Alongside this work, she continues to develop personal creations in the fine art arena for exhibition.

 

Since leaving Worcester, her clients have included:

  • Worcester Open 2010
  • The Lord Snowdon Award Scheme
  • Earthdance 2009
  • Aims Worcester
  • Three Counties Showground
  • Malvern Hills Council Tax dept
  • Malvern Hills Council
  • Deckerdence
  • Worcester Bell Ringers Association, Worcester Cathedral
  • Raven’s Edge Forge

 

Denny’s plans for the future include continuing to practice what she loves doing: dividing her time between the commercial and the conceptual – including creating new projects in the field of interactive sound and video installations. She envisages extending her studies into a Masters and then a PhD.

 

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