Eleanor Hall

About

My work Objectively Funny arose in part from someone who had found themselves writing from two disciplines. I am a design writer, concerned with the material world and how we relate to the objects and systems around us, especially the overlooked and under scrutinised. I am also a regular attendee of live comedy, cabaret and drag, whilst writing about and interviewing those in London’s alternative comedy scene. It was through these dual lenses I began to spot a proliferation of people performing as objects and this intersection became my eventual piece: what does it mean, philosophically, politically and comedically, for someone to impersonate an inanimate object? What does it mean for someone to perform as a pair of jeans?

The other work included here, Radiators, represents another facet of my writing through objects, marrying an interest in science and engineering with architecture and design. It was written in response to a research trip to the Energy House 2.0 in Salford. I wrote about this space in dialogue with another very different kind of speculative testing ground for architecture, The Cosmic House in London. Although two entirely different spaces, they were linked by a concern and call to experiment, either practically or romantically, with the role of heat in the home.

I work by gathering information first hand, talking to people, seeing things and experiencing spaces in person. My style is often described as light which is not to say that it is not serious. I am interested in writing that is expansive, witty and a service to the reader. Whilst I enjoy reading crunchy complex text, my own interests lie in the details, the case studies, anecdotes, bits and pieces of information arranged just so, and my writing style supports this. I strive to continue to work closely with the designers, performers, researchers and characters central to my stories, documenting and reporting on them in ways that are thoughtful, experiential and vivid.

Eleanor (Evi) Hall is a writer based in London. She covers stories about design, technology and comedy.

evihall.com