After completing a BA in Sociology at the University of Auckland in 2001 Emily pursued a career in costume design, a vocation where a knowledge of history and social theory could be integrated with artistic skills.

Following eight years working as a full-time costume designer and maker at the Court Theatre in Christchurch, Emily transitioned from adorning actors to adorning walls. Her pieces are humorously perched on the line between kitsch and curiosity-cabinet-cool, reworking history with a wink.

Emily's diorama boxes are digital collage prints on glass & acrylic panels, mounted in painted wooden frames, to intriguing and appealing effect. Emily retains influences from her theatrical roots with quaint 3D scenes reminiscent of old world stage sets and their spatial illusions, using flat cut outs layered against scenic backdrops. Deconstructing vintage postcards and iconic images, Emily rearranges history to pose the question - is extinction or exploitation a worse fate?