Ella Floyd is an interdisciplinary artist and research assistant based in Richmond, Virginia. Reigning from the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains in Southwest Virginia, Floyd left her rural practice to study Photography + Film at Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts, where she earned her BFA in 2024. Floyd is developing an ongoing project, "Where Light Divides the Holler," discussing themes of disrupted familial and personal archives in conjunction with trends in Appalachian folklore shown in her latest project, "Killmore." Outside of her personal practice, Floyd is currently working as a Research Assistant for the Fifty/Fifty Project at VCUarts, continuing to serve the greater Commonwealth area. When Floyd is not developing projects, she enjoys spending time in nature, specifically rivers and waterfalls! Floyd is passionate about continuing to share Appalachian culture and folklore in a positive light, attempting to challenge harmful stereotypes of poverty and drug abuse perpetuated in modern media, commonly stating, "If I don't tell this story, no one will."
MY BACKGROUND EXPLORES THE INDUSTRIAL AND CREATIVE SIDE OF VISUAL CULTURAL AND COMMUNICATION THROUGH PERSONAL WORK AND COLLABORATIONS WITH OTHER LOCAL ARTISTS. I AIM TO CAPTURE AND EXPLORE THE COMPLEXITIES OF HUMAN EXPERIENCE AND BEHAVIOR, AS WELL AS THE EFFECTS THEIR PHYSICAL AND SOCIAL ENVIRONMENTS TAKE ON THEM. WITH IMAGES OFTEN FEATURING MUNDANE, RURAL BACKGROUNDS, THE VIEWER BECOMES ISOLATED ALONG WITH THE SUBJECT, FURTHER DEVELOPING THE UNIQUE ENVIRONMENT OF SMALL TOWN AMERICA. USING SOFT FOCUS AND DREAMLIKE COLORING, MY WORK OFTEN TOUCHES ON FEELINGS OF NOSTALGIA, LOSS, AND UNEASE.
IN AN ATTEMPT TO EXPLORE CULTURAL PHENOMENA AND TRADITIONS ROOTED IN ADOLESCENCE IN THE AMERICAN SOUTH, IMAGERY OFTEN APPROACHES THE VIEWER WITH A DECEIVING FEELING OF CHILD-LIKE INNOCENCE OR MUNDANITY. HARBORING A SENSE OF STILLNESS AND DEPTH, MY WORK OFTEN EVOKES AN EMOTIONAL RESPONSE IN THE VIEWER. USING PHOTOGRAPHY AS MY PRIMARY MEDIUM, I VIEW THIS EXPRESSION AS AN AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL RESPONSE TO MY POSITION AS A WHITE WOMAN WITH MENTAL ILLNESS, BORN AND RAISED UNDER THE RIGID EXPECTATIONS AND STANDARDS OF THE AMERICAN SOUTH AND APPALACHIA, A PLACE ATTRIBUTED TO HARSH POLITICAL LEGISLATION AND DISPARITIES IN THE TREATMENT OF MENTAL HEALTH CONCERNS WE MAY SEE IN MORE DENSELY POPULATED AREAS. THROUGH MY PRACTICE, I USE EXPANDED PHOTOGRAPHIC PRACTICES TO DEPICT A COMBINATION OF PERSONAL LIFE EXPERIENCE, PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, AND STORYTELLING.
Photo by Shawn Terry