Harriet Bowman works with sculpture and writing. For her solo exhibition, All Round-er (sad sale), Bowman presented a new body of ceramic, leather, metal and sound works based on an ongoing narrative. This text – a key part of the artist’s process similar to making preliminary sketches – follows a fictional character called Fled who explores Bowman’s own curiosities for cars, horsepower and the language of advertising. Her writing generates symbolic objects, acting as physical footnotes to the text. In the exhibition these objects were revealed in a theatrical diorama.
“…as Fled lingered behind the animal, he started to really look at the horse in comparison to his own body… Fled often thought about his own body in comparison to his Audi, but never to a horse..”
A local tannery, Thomas Ware & Sons, was the site of Bowman’s primary research for this exhibition, influencing her use of leatherwork and also a sound work inspired by the workers’ bell.
Harriet Bowman’s All Round-er (sad sale) is supported by The Gane Trust, Thomas Ware & Sons Ltd. and Artisans.
Harriet Bowman
Harriet Bowman graduated with BA (Hons) in Fine Art from UWE in 2013. Recent exhibitions include: SPAR DASH; WEAR DARK GLASSES, The Island, Bristol; Plymouth Contemporary Open, Plymouth College of Art; and A Wave Looks the Same from Above and Below, Lacuna Crux hosted by Home Platform. She was awarded the Young Artist Award at Plymouth Contemporary Open (2015).