Eleanor McNeill is a designer/maker living and creating on the Coal Coast, Australia. Ocean-obsessed environmentalist with a love for making thoughtful, handmade objects.
I acknowledge the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as traditional custodians of the land on which I practice, and pay my respect to Elders past, present and emerging.
PRINT DESIGN / WEARABLE ART / SUSTAINABLE / HAND MADE / PRINT MAKING
From Mountain to Sea was inspired by the natural landscape of the Coal Coast of New South Wales and was the Winner of the Red Point Wearable Art Award and the People's Choice Award. My photographs come together to create the sculptural surface of the dress. They transition from the bush to the ocean and from leaf motif to wave shapes as you travel down the dress.
Created from sketches of life on the streets of India during a Cultural Textiles program run by UNSW AD and Liz Williamson. Several of my photographs and sketches made along the way resulted in these vibrant, repeat designs.
World Wildlife Foundation (WWF) set the task to repurpose their old street banners, I set about weaving a wall-mounted trellis structure that could support plant growth indoors or out. I had been taught traditional weaving techniques which I used to create the work. Featuring a basket at the bottom to hold the plant and an open weaving structure to allow the plant to climb. This idea takes into consideration the inherent weather-proof qualities of the banner material and the colours of the WWF banner are used as an aesthetic feature in the weaving.
Using bulldog clips to secure the design onto the hula hoop as I weave.
First trial with the material.
Roamadic is a collection of sustainable traveller's items inspired by the Australian love of travel and connection to their homeland. It incorporates stitched textures, natural dyes, and features it's own travel case.
“We are all visitors to this time, this place. We are just passing through. Our purpose here is to observe, to learn, to grow, to love… and then we return home”
Inspired by the migrating whales outside my window and native flowers of Australia, these prints came to life. From sketches, traced to form bold lines and then transferred onto lino. They were then cut and stamped onto cotton, and turned into bags, tea towels and other objects.
