Ellie Bradford
Artist, Video Artist
Welcome to FLAT B.
The exhibition, *Flat B. Bedroom Piece*, is a deeply personal and interactive installation that chronicles my recovery journey from Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). Through this exhibition, I aim to share my experiences and challenge the stigma surrounding BPD, using art as a medium to convey the complexity of the disorder.
*Flat B. Bedroom Piece* transforms the gallery space into a replica of my bedroom, the place where I spent much of my time during my struggle with BPD after losing my job. The walls and floor of the gallery will be covered with sheets of whiteboard paper, onto which I will draw throughout the exhibition. The drawings will reflect the fleeting thoughts, emotions, and ideas that characterize the inner experience of living with BPD. In the center of the room, there will be an inflatable bed, a small panda light, a duvet, old clothes, and my mobile phone—items that recreate the intimate setting of my bedroom.
The installation will be dynamic and constantly evolving. Each day, I will alter the drawings, erasing and adding to them in real-time, symbolizing the changeability and impermanence of thoughts and feelings that are intrinsic to BPD. This live performance aspect will be captured through a time-lapse video, documenting the continuous transformation of the space.
Flat B Bedroom
After losing my job and being diagnosed with BPD (Borderline Personality Disorder) I was pretty devastated and unwell. So, for the past 3 years I have been filming my life on a cheap camera.The videos and images are about my life living in a windowless, damp, over-priced studio flat in Tottenham. I want to showcase these videos within a live performance/installation. This project and collection of video series, pictures installations and performances is called 'FLAT B'.
Episode 1
Episode 2
A Proposal I've been working on in relation to FLAT B and my videos.
My residency will show what it is like to live with Borderline Personality Disorder. It would culminate in an installation and live durational performance. The installation will be a replica of my tiny, messy bedroom, packed with lo-fi multimedia artworks that I have made through the residency. The performance will happen within the installation as I occupy my unwellness, hiding in bed, scrolling, sleeping and pacing. When the intensity of acute illness started to subside, this is the life-mess that was left. Unemployment, mental illness, bad housing and being stuck in bed are things we need to recognise. We need our art to represent us, even when it's hard to look at ourselves.