Student Collaboration: E.A. Tofte & John Burns

Eleanora Alis and John are both students at the Open College of Arts. Despite never having met in person, they are now collaborating on their fourth project together.

John studies Photography, while E.A. is pursuing Fine Art. Their decision to create a film

together emerged organically from a conversation following their first group project. As E.A. is approaching her final show, she struggled to connect the pieces of her recordings from the past two years. She reached out to John, who had already started to explore film making and inviting him to collaborate—not just to bridge those gaps, but also to explore how their artistic practices could merge.

Over time, they discovered numerous connections between their creative approaches. Most importantly, they shared a deep understanding of each other’s work and developed a strong, structured work ethic.

When they first met, neither had much experience with creative collaboration. But the timing was right, their ideas aligned, and their process evolved into a natural rhythm. Their first joint piece, Transient, is a video work that you can view below.

This is an email dialogue they had after completing the video.... (June 2025)

E.A. Tofte: Hi John, hope you are doing well! One of the most valuable things I remember

learning from our first group project was not to be precious about my work. Whilst we all contributed individually, it was our collective efforts that truly made the project come together

.

What did you take away from the experience?

JB: Hi Eleanora. I'm good and hope you are too! When I think back to the group project I

remember you making that comment, about not being precious about your work, but to be honest I'm not sure that it initially registered with me. I was initially hit by the enthusiasm everyone had to work together. It completely removed all of the anxiety I had about collaborating. As we shared work and got to know each other your comment started to make sense and I certainly felt it was much easier just to open up and not be precious - of ideas or work.

E.A Tofte: I remember years ago, while living in London, a work colleague introduced me to someone. Almost instantly, we came up with an unusual idea: to never meet again in person, but instead to start writing letters to each other. Recently, I stumbled upon one of those letters. In it, he shared his favourite recipe. I’m not sure if that counts as a collaboration, but it definitely sparked some ideas in my mind.

In a way, our interaction reminds me of that experience. We have never met in person, yet we stay in touch in our own time—much like sending letters. There is something poetic about that. It also brings in the ideas of distance and travel, both literal and metaphorical.

Would you say that the way we work today—through video calls, emails, and

messages—can be compared to traditional letter writing?

JB: I think that's a really good analogy but with the added aspect of the making. I was

reading about procrastination today (something I certainly experience a lot when making) and how it tends to only be an issue when we are working towards something longer term or meaningful. There is an element of trying to control things so that we don't fail - "if I don't try to make then I won't fail" - which goes back to your point about not being precious. It feels to me that this collaboration we are taking part in is essentially a way of giving up control to the bigger picture. There is a commitment there to work together without, necessarily, any definitive end point. I also think back to something another student said - "it should be fun".

Going back to your original question - all of the tools we are using to communicate, e.g.

email, Padlet, etc, take the place of the letter, but I also think the work does too in a way. The things we make, the tangible results of the collaboration, have our communication

embedded within them if you see what I mean.

I think artists are constantly collaborating with the world but I'm interested in why artists

explicitly collaborate with other artists given that we are often actually working on our own the majority of the time. Have you collaborated before and is there a specific reason you want to collaborate?

E.A. Tofte: When I was a teenager and expressed a desire to become a tailor, my mother

firmly discouraged me. She believed the solitude of the profession did not suit my nature.

Ironically, being an artist is quite similar in that regard—and yet, I have never had a problem working alone for long hours. In fact, I crave silence and those solitary moments that allow me to focus deeply, especially in our already hectic world.

One of the reasons I could not stay in London much longer was the constant presence of others. Unless you could afford your own space, you were never truly alone. The

background noise, the energy of so many people—it can be exhausting. I think that’s how I fell in love with nature and with my home in the forest.

But my mother was also right. I don’t believe people are meant to be alone all the time. We need each other. We have something to offer one another. Stepping out of your comfort zone and working together is both a challenge and a process. During my college years, I worked on small collaborative projects, but none felt as successful or natural as what we have managed to create here.

I don’t think collaboration between two artists can be forced. It has to happen

organically—emerging from within each individual and gradually forming a connection. There is probably a very different, but equally meaningful, dynamic when working with someone from a completely different field—like a scientist, for example. But ultimately, it always comes down to the individuals involved and how they choose to work together.

JB: I find solitude very peaceful but I do need to have the option to dip into some of the

energy a city generates. I find London exasperating after a few days now though.

I have never really collaborated artistically with anyone until now but I have been working with a fellow student, to foster a daily practice and jointly read books. I've found that, and this process, incredibly beneficial both in terms of making and understanding my own work, but in expanding my outlook beyond photography into the wider art world. I think there is definitely an energy which is greater than the sum of parts when we combine our efforts.

E.A.Tofte: I first met you during a Saturday Momentum Reboot workshop. I remember

setting my alarm for 3:30 a.m. because of the time difference—but I was determined, and I am so glad I did. They divided us into groups of 5-6 for the homework project, and we ended up in the same one. I often think of that as a serendipitous encounter.

I had been searching for someone to collaborate with on film and video work for quite some time. As a full-time student, I have explored various programs, but it takes more than just tools to create what you did.

I also realise that my project might sometimes come across as self-centered. While it is

deeply personal, it is about everything else and a very little about me.

Transient tells a story about climate change and the choices we make. It explores the space between the private and the public, and how meaningful connection can benefit us all physically and mentally. It speaks to nature, but also to our socio-cultural and political landscape—because everything is deeply interconnected.

It reflects the world through my eyes, the only perspective I can authentically share. I am truly grateful to have found you and to have discovered so many shared and overlapping ideas through our creative process. Collaborating with you has been incredibly enriching—not only in exchanging ideas, but also in finding a rhythm between working together and developing my voice independently.

Can you share what you were primarily focused on before we started working on this video?

JB: Yeh I was quite nervous about the workshop - not knowing what to expect - but it worked out really well and of course has led to this collaboration which is a great outcome.

I think Transient touches on some similar themes to my current project. I started exploring the legacy of Glasgow's involvement in the Caribbean slave trade with a specific focus on the impact on the build environment - structures that we take for granted which were borne out of that era of economic growth off the back of slavery. As I have dug deeper I am exploring a wide range of topics such as nationhood, heritage and identity through the lens of what it means to be Scottish and/or Glaswegian. How identity is so often linked to place.

I had dabbled with video work in a previous course, but not to any great extent, and during this stage of my studies I began to wonder if photography was expressive enough a medium to visually represent what I was exploring. I started making very short videos mixing video and audio tracks to see where it might lead. I think you saw one that I posted on the group share and now we are here!

Using your footage meant I didn't really have to think much about what needed to be shown - you had done that work - but bringing in some of my short videos has really enhanced the work for me and given me a sense of authorship which I perhaps wouldn't have had if we just used your footage on its own.

E.A.Tofte: You mentioned something—how identity is often deeply tied to place. That idea became central to my process while creating Transient. Living across the world, between vastly different cultures, identities, and landscapes, I found myself reflecting not only on personal displacement but also on the broader forces of globalization.

What do borders really mean when landscapes are constantly shifting—through climate change, migration, and political upheaval?

This is what drew me to video as a medium: the ability to blur boundaries further, to let the viewer drift through a moving landscape where borders dissolve and reform. The physical work is situated in a remote, private land—an isolated space that resists easy access. The physical exhibition alone can not tell the full story. I have taken photographs, but I do not consider myself a photographer. The still images are fragments—echoes of a larger, more fluid narrative.

I often wonder whether life today is harder than it was 40 years ago. But I don’t think so.

Every era has its tipping points, its own set of challenges. I originally considered calling this exhibition Empathy, because I believe that’s what we need most right now—a deeper understanding of what is happening around us.

There is something about these trees, and even more so the space around them, that invites stillness. A place to slow down, to listen. At one point, I wanted to recreate that lost place from my childhood—where time moved so slowly that the next “event” felt infinitely far away, and imagination had room to bloom. In that stillness, emotions, ideas, and reflections began to surface—quietly, insistently. That moment of wonder.

I believe it’s important to know where you come from. To learn history, to understand why things are the way they are today. Everything is connected. And through understanding, we create space within ourselves to make better, more compassionate decisions for the future.

JB: Yes I am becoming much more aware of how shared history and everyday things like

music and food affect identity, but also how these things can be, and often are, manipulated in order to generate a sense of identity which is convenient for the current fragmented political climate. I think art has a very important and positive role to play in questioning these systems of power which impact our everyday lives and which often we aren't really aware of.

E.A Tofte: What's next?

JB: What shall we do next?? I have no idea. I think that's the beauty of working in this way.

When we focus on our own work we can sometimes become quite blinkered and this has allowed us both to step back and try something different. Who knows where that might lead next!