Ellen Downes – Body Casting Artist and Founder of EVERY BODY’S STORY
EVERY BODY’S STORY
ROLE: FOUNDER
Every Body’s Story
The Story
Ellen was first inspired by the art of body casting when she herself was cast at Shambala Festival in 2015 by Artist Sean Wilson. She found the process to be transformative and in August 2019 she had her first tutorial in the UK and spent her next months in Hanoi, Vietnam learning the craft and casting friends.
The Process
We often only see ourselves in 2D; in reflections or photos but it is rare for us to truly see our own full form. Ellen casts 20 women’s torsos uses aromatherapy oils and plaster bandage which she spray paints gold.
The Project
In January 2020 Ellen held an exhibition at QUA. Gallery in Hanoi, Vietnam where she cast 18 women’s torsos and displayed them alongside the women’s stories. The series of casts presented women of different sizes, shapes and builds. They were displayed together to show that every body is unique and every body is beautiful.
What’s Next for Every Body’s Story?
Ellen is currently based in Bristol, UK, where she will be casting from her studio throughout the summer of 2021. She will be hosting an Every Body’s Exhibition at Centrespace Gallery 26th August – 2nd September, alongside a festival of events in the space.
WHAT IS
Every Bodys Story?
- The body casting experience has the potential to be transformative.
- Women who Ellen has cast in both Vietnam and the UK have their golden casts to treasure and display as they wish.
- Casts act as reminders of the strength and power of the body and the women behind them.
- They are a means of physically capturing a moment in time.