About
I make art to feel alive, more connected to this wild, breathing planet, and to the parts of ourselves we've learned to tune out. My practice isn't planned; it's intuitive. It begins with questions I don't yet know how to answer, and often ends in forms that feel more like discoveries than decisions.
Whether I'm drawing by a stormy Scottish sea, filming with 360 VR cameras in an ancient rainforest or working with glass, dandelions, salt and slime mould, I'm captivated by what's hidden, elemental, or emergent. My work lives somewhere between ecology, perception, and presence, a meeting point of art, science, and something wilder. It explores our connection with nature and our perception within it, inviting us to truly feel our own nature as an inseparable part of the living world.
For me, art is true freedom in exploration and discovery. It's a practice of listening. A way of waking up. I hope my work invites you to sense, question, and find your own pathways back to the deeper intelligence of the living world.
Artist Biography
Elaine Ford is a Scottish interdisciplinary artist and ecologist working at the intersection of biological intelligence, sensory storytelling, and material transformation. Her practice blends fine art, ecological research, and immersive technologies to explore how we perceive, sense, and co-exist with our living world.
Captivated by natural phenomena and the unseen rhythms of Earth systems, Elaine creates works across drawing, installation, digital craft, and glass. She often co-creates with biological processes—from slime mould and salt crystal growth to animal migration data and radar echoes—allowing time, chance, and the inherent intelligence of living systems to shape the art itself.
Informed by extensive field expeditions to tropical rainforests, remote mountain ranges, and marine habitats (from tracing ancient predators like the Komodo dragon to exploring hidden waterfalls), Elaine's work invites multisensory connection, empathy, and embodied ecological awareness. A central fascination in her art is how information extends beyond human senses, delving into the perception of other animals and plants, and how technology can enhance our own.
Through Planet Rewild, Elaine pioneers immersive 360° filmmaking initiatives that transport viewers into wild, often-inaccessible environments. She fuses artistic storytelling with ecological intelligence to activate the senses and reconnect audiences with the living world. Her work has garnered support from prestigious conservation bodies including BirdLife International, the Jane Goodall Institute, RSPB, Elephants for Africa, and Botswana Predator Trust.
With an academic background in both Fine Art and Ecology, Elaine brings a distinct sensitivity to sensory experience and environmental systems. Her installations and regenerative digital works have been exhibited across Europe in traditional galleries and frontier digital spaces. Her deep, lived connection to wild landscapes is further evidenced through creative collaborations with outdoor brands like Jöttnar, Ellis Brigham, Scott Sports, and Craghoppers, which support her adventurous expeditions.
Earlier in her career, Elaine worked as an art tutor for RNIB, designing inclusive workshops for visually impaired artists. This experience profoundly shaped her lifelong belief that art, nature, and adventure should be accessible and inclusive for all.
Elaine’s artistic process is documented here, and selected works can be viewed here.
