Eleanor Lakelin
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BIOGRAPHY
Eleanor Lakelin’s work is exhibited internationally and is part of private and public collections, including the Museum of Arts and Design, New York; Victoria & Albert Museum, UK; the Museum of London, UK; the Mint Museum of Craft and Design, USA; the National Museum in Oslo and most recently the Museum of Decorative Arts, Norway, 2024.In 2020, she received a major commission from Reading Museum, supported by the CAS Rapid Response Fund and in partnership with Frieze London, to create a piece which memorialises Reading Gaol’s most famous inmate, Oscar Wilde. Selected as part of a group of British sculptors and artists, Eleanor is developing a new work for The Extinction Collection. The artist is the recipient of notable awards and commendations, including a QEST Scholarship in 2018; winner of the Bespoke Category of the British Wood Awards in 2017; nomination for the Perrier-Jouët Arts Salon Prize in 2014; and The Cockpit Arts / Worshipful Company of Turners Award in 2011. Eleanor has been selected as a finalist for the Loewe Foundation Craft Prize 2022.A connection to the past is profound in Eleanor Lakelin’s work; she is fascinated by wood as a living, breathing substance with its own history of growth and struggle, centuries beyond our own. Her sculptural objects made in Horse Chestnut are created using a traditional woodworking lathe and centuries-old chisels and gouges, alongside modern tools and carving techniques. Her vessels appear like archaeological objects pulled from the ground; classical forms are referenced and smooth surfaces, reminiscent of ossified matter, rhythmically yield to knotted sections of burr.
Engaging in sustainable practices, Eleanor works only with trees grown in Britain and felled due to decay. A deep knowledge and a passionate interest in the natural properties of wood result in forms that seem true to the spirit of the material and which encourage us to look at the complexities of nature with a new perspective. Material is transformed into objects that invite touch and reflection, reminding us of our emotional bond with wood and, in turn, our wider relationship to the elemental earth.
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WORKS
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Eleanor LakelinE, 2024Horse Chestnut Burr (scorched and oil-waxed)
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Eleanor LakelinV, 2024Horse Chestnut Burr (bleached)
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Eleanor LakelinVessel #1 (Soma), 2024Horse Chestnut Burr
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Eleanor LakelinVessel #3 (Soma), 2024Horse Chestnut Burr (scorched and oil-waxed)
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Eleanor LakelinVessel #2 (Soma), 2024Horse Chestnut Burr (bleached)
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Eleanor LakelinDay 3, 2024Horse Chestnut Burr (bleached)
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Eleanor LakelinVia, 2024Field Maple Burr (bleached)
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Eleanor LakelinVoided Vessel #1, 2024Horse Chestnut Burr (bleached)
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Eleanor LakelinVoided Vessel #3, 2024Horse Chestnut Burr (bleached)
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Eleanor LakelinWave, 2024Horse Chestnut Burr (bleached)
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Eleanor LakelinBottle #2, 2024Horse Chestnut Burr (scorched and oil-waxed)
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Eleanor LakelinBottle #1, 2024Horse Chestnut Burr (bleached)
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Eleanor LakelinJar #1, 2023Horse Chestnut Burr (bleached)
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Eleanor LakelinVoided Vessel #2, 2024Horse Chestnut Burr (bleached)
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Eleanor LakelinJar #5, 2024Horse Chestnut Burr (bleached)
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Eleanor LakelinJar #1/2, 2024Horse Chestnut Burr (bleached)
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Eleanor LakelinJar #2, 2024Horse Chestnut Burr (bleached)
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Eleanor LakelinJar #4, 2024Horse Chestnut Burr (bleached)
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Eleanor Lakelin, Calyx I/23, 2023
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Eleanor LakelinAmphora Vessel, 2022Horse Chestnut burr
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Installation Shots