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As Loughborough athletes compete in Paris this summer, closer to home Loughborough Fine Art graduate, Ellie Robins, has explored her deeply felt and personal experience within the sport of powerlifting through paint and ceramics.
Her body of work, which was displayed at the Loughborough 2024 Degree Show, generates conversation around women’s sport and the impact of body image, especially the idea that women should maintain the feminine ideal but also require strength to excel in their sport.
For her final project, Ellie produced an 8-foot pyramid of over 300 ceramic dumbbells to represent female strength and power. When you look closely at each dumbbell, you can read quotations from interviews she conducted with women in sport and imagery of female athletes.
Alongside the dumbbell pyramid, she displayed a series of paintings under the same theme, showing athletes lifting weights, the marks on their skin from cupping therapy and calluses that happen from gripping and lifting weights.
In recent years, efforts to challenge traditional notions of femininity and celebrate athleticism in all its forms have fostered a more supportive environment for women in sport. Despite this, there are still a number of barriers women face and how they look and feel can be a big problem, with body image having a profound effect on confidence and willingness to partake in sport.
With her work, Ellie aims to empower women to feel comfortable in their changing bodies and support the growing community of female athletes.
During the research stage of her project, Ellie conducted over 100 interviews with women in sport. As part of Loughborough’s Powerlifting and Weightlifting Club, she also spoke with members of the club who bonded over shared experiences.
Ellie found that many of the women she interviewed discussed how weightlifting had saved them from struggling with their mental health. Multiple participants also shared that they had received negative comments about their bodies. Ellie said: “Hearing this put everything into perspective and highlights that this is a big issue that we have to solve.”
Reflecting on her own experience with powerlifting, Ellie said: “It’s a chance for me to clear my head every day, I would recommend it to anyone.
“Even if you’re just getting into the gym, it gives you an outlet to let your mind be free and feel like you’re capable of anything.”
To create her final year project, Ellie opted to use a wooden pyramid formation and slip-casted over 300 ceramic dumbbells to sit on the pyramid.
Once the dumbbells were fired in the kiln, she experimented using different oxides to stain their surface. She then added quotes and images to the dumbbells using a heat transfer method.
Ellie graduated from her Fine Art course on Thursday 18 July. On studying at Loughborough, Ellie said: “Loughborough gives you the freedom and studio space to follow your heart in whatever you want to do.
“My favourite part of Loughborough would be the support from technical staff, as well as the wide range of workshops and facilities that have allowed me to progress my technical skills, especially in ceramics and woodwork.”
During her time at the University, Ellie received the 2024 Potclays Award which included a £50 materials voucher plus digital marketing support. In the future, Ellie aspires to exhibit her work more widely and intends to produce more ceramic pieces on a larger scale.
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