Team Grief
We are a small team of three brilliant woman with a wider team of associate artists we collaborate with regularly.
Ellie Harrison
Artistic Director
Ellie Harrison is a performance maker and artist living in Leeds and working internationally.
She creates a range of solo and collaborative devised performance work for studios, galleries, found and public spaces. Participation is at the heart of all of her work as a performer, facilitator and mentor of young people. Her work is often characterised by a playful and provocative approach to difficult topics, encouraging audiences to make decisions and participate.
She graduated from Bretton Hall with a first class Degree in Acting in 2006 and an MA in Performance with Distinction from Leeds Beckett University in 2011.
After graduating Ellie was on the Artistic Direction team for Pointed Arrow, making a range of journey based public art projects. Her first solo show Dressing The Part toured nationally and was developed into a durational performance in collaboration with Ollie Smith and supported by Greenroom Manchester and Light Night Leeds.
In 2015 Ellie won A Love Arts award for her work on The Grief Series. Working on Grief Series has seen Ellie travel to Prague, Paris, Mexico City, Sibiu Festival and Timisoara Romania. The Projects in The Grief Series have gained national press attention. She has been invited to speak on Radio 4's Women’s Hour and has been included in Lynn Gardner’s theatre pick of the year.
Ellie is supported in her role by a team of Access Assistants.
Matt Rogers
Emma James
Company Manager
Team Mexico City
Collaborators for part 7: All That Lives
Vlady Diaz
Vlady is an independent film maker and producer based in Mexico City. He has been instrumental as an international host, translator and producer on Part 7 All That Lives. He also has spoken at 3 International conferences alongside Ellie.
Laura Pirezz
Laura is a visual artist and vintage shop owner based in Mexico City. She is a collaborator on Part 7 All That Lives and has brought her varied skills including translation, illustration and making to Ellie and The Grief Series
Zion Art Studio
Lead by Marco Medina, Zion Art Studios Collective include:
Magnolia González Garcia, Jonathan Perez Ramirez, Christian Cruz Hernandez, Alejandro Pacheco.
Zion are Cartoneria (Paper craft artists and sculptors) based at Faro De Oriente Mexico City. They are collaborating on Part 7 All That Lives and continue to bring warmth and life to whatever they do. https://www.instagram.com/zionartstudio/
Our Collaborators
Bethany Wells
Bethany is a designer working across theatre, site-specific performance + installation design. She learnt fairground sign-painting when designing Part 4: The Unfair, and has collaborated as designer on Part 6: Journey With Absent Friends and Part 7: All That Lives...www.bethanywells.com
Matt Allen
Matt is a digital/ live artist and curator. He collaborated on Part 7 All That Lives R&D and has documented Grief Series work using 360 filming.
Dr. Anni Raw
Anni is an ethnographer and independent academic. She was instrumental in setting up the international collaborations for Part 7 All That Lives. She collaborated on the R&D for All That Lives and continues to be an important sounding board.
Dr Jessica Hammett
Jess is a historian who collaborated on Journey With Absent Friend as well as co-writing an article for History Workshop Journal and delivering The Senses and Spaces of Death, Dying And Remembrance International Conference with Laura and Ellie
Dr. Laura King
Laura is a historian based at University of Leeds. She collaborated on Part 6 Journey With Absent Friends and she has worked with Ellie and Jess Hammet to write an article for History Workshop Journal. Ellie, Laura and Jess have also delivered a number of international conferences, workshops and outreach activity together https://ahc.leeds.ac.uk/history/staff/895/dr-laura-king
Swine that Dines
Jo and Stu are chefs and independent restaurateurs. They collaborated on the performance meals in Journey With Absent Friends https://swinethatdines.co.uk/
Matt Rogers
Matt has collaborated on many Grief Series projects as an outside eye, documentor, photographer and invaluable friend http://uncannytheatre.co.uk/shows/
Matt Skyes Hooban
Matt collaborated on Part 6 Journey with Absent Friends renovating the caravan. He has also worked on every Grief Series project being a Roadie, technician, designer, builder and advocate of The Grief Series. www.instagram.com/matt.sykeshooban/
Hayley Mills Styles
Hayley is a textile artist who collaborated on part 6 Journey With Absent Friends as
well as a number of mini collaborations for Part 4 and various outreach activities.
https://hayleymillsstyles.com/
Fergus Dunnet
Fergus is an illustrator, game designer and maker who collaborated on Part 5 The Crossing https://fergus-dunnet.weebly.com/
Matthew Bellwood
Matthew is an artist who co authors projects with communities who collaborated on Part 5 The Crossing
Adam Young
Adam is a live artist and collaborated on Part 4 The Unfair and the R&D for Part 7 All That Lives.
Roshana Rubin Mayhew
Roshana is an artist working in film and photography. She collaborated on Part 3 What is Left? taking all the portraits as well as shaping and delivering the project http://roshanarubinmayhew.com/
Jaye Kearney
Jaye is a performer and arts marketer. She collaborated on part 2 The Reservation and has carried out marketing activities, as well as being an invaluable friend, outside eye and advocate of The Grief Series since the beginning.
Matt Tullett
Matt made the video for Part 1 Etiquette of Grief and has taken documentation and publicity images for part 1 and 2 of The Grief Series
Peter Reed
Peter worked with Ellie from the beginning of The Grief Series and produced parts 1-4. He is Co-Director, with Annie Lloyd, of Compass Live Art, supporting artists to make live, interactive and socially engaged contemporary art projects through a residency programme and a biennial festival in Leeds.
The Grief Series is an unincorporated arts organisation. We work project to project on a part time basis with guidance from our wonderful Board members Dr Dawn Langley, Dr Laura King and Ollie Smith.
Matt Rogers
SLAP 2020, Danny Knight
Jessica Sweet
Jess has been involved with The Grief Series in various capacities since 2012 and in 2016 joined as Producer to manage people and places. She continues to collaborate with Team Grief through her role as Artistic Director of CLAY: Centre for Live Art Yorkshire.
Dr. Jodean Sumner
Jodean is an artist, academic and educator with a focus on autobiography, embodiment and ethics. For the Grief Series she has edited text and offered dramaturgical support on the Journey With Absent Friends web project and is currently exploring publication and legacy
Rachel Mars
Rachel is a performance maker and writer with a background in theatre, live art and comedy. She is a collaborating artist and celebrant for The Funeral - bringing humour and heart to this final celebration of the Grief Series.
Joseph Mercier
Joseph is a choreographer and director working across disciplines - primarily in dance, live art and contemporary theatre. He is also co-director of performance collective PanicLab and a lecturer at Northern School of Contemporary Dance. For the Grief series he will direct The Funeral and bring dance skills and wit to this final celebration.
Anna Turzynski
Anna is a Leeds based Producer who supported the Grief Series from 2017 to 2021. As well as being part of Team Grief she also produced for Compass Festival of Live Art and Riptide. Her expertise lies in site-specific, interactive and unconventional art work. We are delighted to continue a relationship with her in her new role at Leeds 2023.
Victoria Firth
Victoria is a producer, arts manager, and creative based in West Yorkshire. Her skills include live performance programming, project management, partnership development, venue management, business planning and communications. She was Director of the Lawrence Batley Theatre for 12 years, Interim Director of The Dukes in Lancaster and is currently the Associate Director for Xtrax.
Emma James is a Yorkshire based artist and manager, who has worked in the UK arts and culture sectors for over 20 years.
Emma graduated from LIPA in 2000 with a first-class BA Honours degree in Performance Design.
Emma’s approach and employment in the arts and cultural industries to date has been multifaceted: from costume and textiles work, production management and street performance, Emma has undertaken it all. She thrives from being engaged in live performance work, where communities and audience are engaged and connected with.
Some of the most recent companies and roles Emma has undertaken are Production Manager & Head of Wardrobe; Phoenix Dance Theatre, Wardrobe Supervisor; Wakefield Theatre Royal, Set & Costume Designer; Carole Wears Productions, Project Manager; Space2 Leeds.
Other previous companies worked for are: Northern Ballet Theatre, Opera North, Tutti Frutti Theatre Company, Tell Tale Hearts Theatre Company, Lawrence Batley Theatre, Ascendance Rep, Verve Dance Repertoire, BBC, Immersion Theatre, York Theatre Royal, Durham Gala Theatre, Same Difference Theatre Company, Cambridge Touring Theatre, Dance Base Edinburgh, Emmerdale.
Emma joined The Grief Series in summer 2022, she is very happy to be on board with such talented, wonderful, and generous artists, and is looking forward to rest of 2022 and beyond!