In the dynamic and ever-evolving landscape of contemporary art, few emerging embody the term “interdisciplinary” with the same authenticity and technical prowess as Eleanor Katie Holliday. Known professionally as Ellie, she operates at the confluence of light, sound, structure, and story, crafting immersive experiences that transcend traditional artistic boundaries. From designing multimedia installations at prestigious New York galleries to shaping the audio-visual identity of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and from composing for global platforms like Audible to going viral with millions of views on TikTok, Holliday is not merely participating in the artistic dialogue—she is actively redefining its language for a new generation.
Based in New York, a city that thrives on creative collision, Ellie Holliday has rapidly carved out a unique niche as a visual artist, set designer, projection specialist, and sound composer. Her work is a testament to a deep understanding of both the analog and digital realms, seamlessly blending physical fabrication with ephemeral projections, and intricate soundscapes with tangible set pieces. This multifaceted approach has made her a sought-after collaborator across theatre, music, film, and installation art. As she navigates a demanding schedule that includes a key role at The Met and a design internship at the forward-thinking IIIXL Studio, Ellie Holliday stands as a powerful example of the modern artist: a versatile, tech-savvy creator whose impact is felt in hallowed cultural institutions and on the glowing screens of millions worldwide.
A Foundation in Sound and a Vision for the Visual
Ellie Holliday’s artistic journey is marked by a distinctive duality: a profound sensibility for both the auditory and the visual. This is not a recent development but a foundational element of her practice. Ellie Holliday early professional work demonstrates a sophisticated ear for narrative sound design. In 2023, she collaborated with two of the most respected names in storytelling, Audible and The National Theatre in London, to design the sound and compose the music for two original audio plays, ‘£39’ and ‘Ashes to Ashes.’ This experience honed her ability to evoke emotion, build tension, and create entire worlds through sound alone—a skill that would become integral to the immersive quality of her later visual work.
That same year, her work on the audio project ‘F for Farnham – Ghosts around Town’ further showcased her talent for auditory storytelling. However, her creative ambitions were already expanding. In 2022, she demonstrated a keen eye for curation and critical thought by organizing “The Voices” Film Programme at the Bermondsey Project Space Gallery in London. In collaboration with the BFI, Film Hub London, and The National Lottery, Ellie Holliday curated screenings on themes like ‘Women On Screen and Behind The Camera,’ proving her commitment to not only creating art but also contextualizing and championing the work of others. This curatorial role foreshadowed her holistic approach to art-making, where every element—from concept to final presentation—is meticulously considered.
The New York Ascent: From Music Videos to Immersive Installations
Upon establishing her practice in New York, Holliday’s creative output accelerated dramatically. Ellie Holliday became a go-to director, videographer, set designer, and editor for a new wave of musicians, helming music videos for artists like ARIA, LAWRENCO, Looi, and Pablo Trujillo. Ellie Holliday work in this sphere is characterized by a strong, cohesive visual identity that complements and elevates the music. Videos like ‘Wake Up’ for Ann Aarat or ‘House in the Space’ for Danny Ritz are not mere promotional clips; they are miniature films, complete with bespoke sets and atmospheric lighting that reflect her growing expertise in world-building.
This expertise found a powerful new outlet in live performance and installation art. In 2024, she stepped onto the stage—or rather, behind the visuals—as an animator and Visual Jockey (VJ) for the musician Adhitavo at the Masala Mixtape Festival in Brooklyn. Specializing in real-time video performance, she used custom-designed visuals and projection mapping to create a dynamic, responsive visual environment that pulsed with the energy of the music. This work cemented her reputation as an artist who could think on her feet, blending technical skill with improvisational creativity.
Ellie Holliday installation work reached a new level of sophistication in 2025 with the ‘Liminal Spaces’ Art Exhibition at International House, New York. For this show, Holliday designed and fabricated a multimedia installation titled ‘Life Through the Window Seat.’ The piece was a masterclass in experiential art, combining a physical structure with custom visuals, interactive lighting, and intricate projection mapping. The work invited viewers into a contemplative space, exploring themes of travel, memory, and perception. It demonstrated her ability to transform a gallery space into a site of profound personal encounter.
This momentum carried directly into the theatrical world. Also in 2025, she served as the Visual Artist, Set Designer, and Projection Artist for ‘Science of Youth,’ an audio-visual theatre production by Danny Ritz at the Annex Theatre in Hell’s Kitchen. Here, her various talents converged, using projection to create fluid, dreamlike backdrops and set design to ground the narrative in a tangible reality.
The Projection-Mapping Phenomenon and an Unexpected Impact
While Ellie Holliday professional portfolio was rapidly expanding, a parallel phenomenon was unfolding online. Beginning in 2024, Holliday began sharing her projection-mapping experiments on social media platforms, most notably TikTok. These short videos showcased her process of transforming mundane objects and surfaces—a bathtub, a bedroom wall, a pile of discarded items—into canvases for breathtaking visual art.
The response was explosive. One video, in which Ellie Holliday projected swirling, ethereal patterns onto the water in a bathtub, went viral, accumulating an astonishing 11.7 million views and earning a feature on the major media outlet Unilad. This digital success was more than just a fleeting moment of internet fame; it became integral to the development of her larger projects. The constant experimentation fueled her music video and installation work and led to the creation of The Junkyard House Show in Harlem, an audio-visual DJ event where she applied her projection techniques in a live, communal setting.
However, the true impact of her online presence revealed itself in a deeply personal and unexpected way. The story, as Holliday tells it, is a powerful reminder of art’s capacity to inspire.
“Berklee NYC recently hosted a designer showcase for their Live Music Production and Design program—the same course I completed last year,” she recalls. “I stopped by after my shift at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and walking back into the space as an alum felt like a full-circle moment.”
It was there, amidst the buzz of new creative energy, that a student approached her. “Before I could even introduce myself,” Ellie Holliday says, “she told me, ‘You’re the reason I’m here. I saw your projection work on TikTok and was so inspired. That’s what made me apply… I hoped you’d show up tonight.'”
Ellie Holliday was stunned. The encounter was a profound affirmation of her purpose. “I never imagined my work could have such a direct impact on someone’s life and choices,” she reflects. “It reminded me exactly why I do what I do. I create to inspire. I create push boundaries and offer new ways of seeing and feeling. Going viral was a milestone, but knowing that my work helped someone discover their path? That means more than anything.”
This moment crystallized the dual nature of her influence: the professional artist shaping culture from within its institutions, and the digital creator inspiring a global audience to find their own creative paths.
At the Heart of Art: The Met and Beyond
Today, in mid-2025, Ellie Holliday’s career is a dynamic synthesis of her diverse skills. As an Audio-Visual Specialist at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, she is entrusted with the technical and artistic presentation of events in one of the world’s most revered cultural spaces. She operates the complex web of staging, lighting, audio, and video technology that brings lectures, performances, and galas to life in venues like the Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium. It is a role that demands precision, technical mastery, and an artist’s eye—qualities she possesses in abundance.
Simultaneously, her role as a Design Intern at IIIXL Studio places her at the cutting edge of design strategy. There, she is helping to develop new visual identities and design methodologies, collaborating with other emerging artists to push creative boundaries. This position allows her to stay connected to the experimental, forward-thinking energy that fuels her personal work.
Eleanor Katie Holliday’s journey is remarkable not only for its rapid ascent but for its breadth. She is a composer who thinks in images, a set designer who hears in textures, and a digital artist who builds physical worlds. Her work erases the lines between disciplines, proving that sound can be structural, light can be narrative, and a 30-second video can change the course of someone’s life. As she continues to weave her intricate tapestry of light, sound, and story, Ellie Holliday is not just an artist to watch; she is an artist who is teaching us new ways to see and listen.
