Ella SaddingtonAbout
Ella Saddington is an experimental designer, researcher, and artist currently based in Naarm/Melbourne, Australia. Her practice explores the intersection of craft, material culture, and design, focusing on reactivating pre-industrial techniques within contemporary contexts. Through her studio, Cordon Salon, Saddington investigates the tacit knowledge embedded in traditional craftsmanship, blending historical research with material experimentation to create objects that are both functional and deeply resonant.

Saddington’s work spans sculpture, furniture, and lighting, characterised by a rigorous engagement with process and an enduring inquiry into sustainability, legacy, and the transmission of skill. Her practice is defined by meticulously investigating how objects are made, the systems that sustain them, and their cultural significance. By reframing overlooked or obsolete craft practices, Saddington reveals their enduring relevance, contributing to a broader discourse on materiality and innovation in design.

Her work has been exhibited widely in Australia, with notable presentations at the Melbourne Art Fair (2024), the National Gallery of Victoria (2023), Oigall Projects (2023), Craft Victoria (2022) and Sophie Gannon Gallery (2021), and is held in private collections internationally. 

In 2022, Saddington was awarded the George Alexander Fellowship by the International Specialised Skills Institute, supporting an intensive study into the material intelligence of medieval and early modern European armour-making. She is a recipient of the Creative Victoria 2023 Creators Fund (Aus) and a member of the Royal Anthropological Institute (UK) a member of the National Association of Visual Artists (Aus) and Craft Victoria (Aus).





Commissions and collaborations welcome  
Get in touch:

Email: ellasaddington@gmail.com
Instagram: @ellasaddington
Are.na: Ella Saddington



































I acknowledge the Traditional Owners, the Wurundjeri and Boon Wurrung people of the Kulin Nation, as the traditional custodians of the land on which I live and work. I pay my respects to their Elders past, present, and future, and extend this respect to all Indigenous Nations for their enduring stewardship, wisdom, and creative contributions.

Education, Studies
Éducation, Études



Solo Exhibitions
Expositions particulières




Group Exhibitions
Expositions collectives



























Awards, Prizes, Grants, Fellowship
Prix, Récompenses, Subventions






Professional Appointments 
Postes Professionnels






Press & Publications
Publications et Presse















Residencies
Résidences d'artiste


Talks, Lectures, Keynotes
Conférences, Art oratoire









Memberships & Affiliations



  • Metropolitan South Institute TAFE (MSIT), Brisbane
  • Alberta University of the Arts - (Previously Alberta College of Art & Design), Calgary
  • Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Melbourne


  • Garniture, Oigall Projects, Melbourne
  • Vol. IV Oigall Projects, Melbourne
  • Vol. III Sophie Gannon Gallery, Melbourne
  • Morphic, Compound Interest Gallery, Melbourne




    VL50, Vogue Living
    Creators Fund, Creative Victoria 
    George Alexander Fellowship, International Specialised Skills Institute
    Omnia Art prize, Melbourne, Finalist
    Small Projects Grant, City of Yarra, Melbourne


  • Peer Assessor, Creative Victoria 
  • Design & Research at Cordon Salon
  • Curator, Material Matters 02, MDW
  • Guest selection panel, Vitrine Gallery, Craft Victoria
  • Curator, Material Matters, Craft Contemporary






  • Atelier Residency, BETA Project, Melbourne



Pecha Kucha 05, Collections -  Centre for Rare Arts & Forgotten Trades, Ballarat
  • Material Matters 02, Floor Talk - MDW, Atelier Residency, BETA PROJECT, Melbourne
  • Forged Futures, GAF Skills Forum - Science Gallery Melbourne 
  • Material Matters, Floor Talk, Craft Contemporary,  Atelier Residency, BETA PROJECT, Melbourne
  • Keynote Talk - Design the Future Don’t Waste Time- Linden New Art, Melbourne
  • Artist Speakeasy - Linden New Art in partnership with Design Fringe & Craft Contemporary 
  •  Designing With Waste:  Open Studio -Atelier Residency, BETA PROJECT, Melbourne
  • Re-thinking Provisions -MPavilion x Craft Victoria  Melbourne
  • Artist Speakeasy - Linden New Art in partnership with Design Fringe & Craft Contemporary
  • Volume III > Artist Talk - Designwork 05 for MDW, Sophie Gannon Gallery, Melbourne

Student Fellowship - (RAI) Royal Anthropological Institute 
Peer Assessor - Creative Victoria 
Member - NAVA -National Association of Visual Artists
Member - Craft Victoria 
Member - Society for Artistic Research (SAR)





2006-09
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SOON
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