Sara Bowler

I investigate the palimpsest of place and how evidence of former use and occupation resonates through time. I’m drawn to everyday locations - hedgebound fields, old buildings, hut hugging coves - curious about their histories. What links this place to its past, what evidence is there? Do things happen now that reference earlier actions?

Accessing all types of archives, talking to people, reading histories, consulting conservationists, land owners, archaeologists, offers unexpected and overlooked insights, bringing new ways of knowing and a multi layered understanding of a site. Experiencing places firsthand, at different times of the day and in various weathers, feeds my ideas, helping me to create engaging experiences for audiences through soundscapes, installation, texts, video and photography.

Ultimately, my curiosity lies in the impact of human agency on the land and how over millenia, people have used, shaped, changed and regarded it. The evidence that remains in the archaeological record, and recorded histories is amazing, reflecting  people’s energy, commitment and innovation, in tandem with their capacity for destruction and creativity. This feeds the ideas, helping to generate new ways of knowing and understanding what is in front and all around us.

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art

Making art is my way of understanding the world around me and how things work. It's a way of asking questions and exploring answers that can remain flexible and open to change. The forms I use reflect the nature of the understanding I develop, ranging from installation, sound work, video and objects. Recently, I have begun to explore process and how this manifests as artwork.

Research is central to everything I do. I love delving into bodies of knowledge! There is so much information from the past which informs and drives the ideas behind each piece. But research also manifests as enquiry into current and contemporary situations that again, help me to understand why things are as they are.

projects

I've been developing independent projects for around 15 years, relishing the freedom this provides to realise ambitious ideas. I favour working co-operatively with others - artists, archaeologists, academics, land managers, historians, geographers - and welcome public participation and the opportunity to work in unorthodox locations.

work

The archive reflects work and projects undertaken since 2003. It's a hybrid mix of enquiries that reflect on my fascination with 'place', interspersed with the occasional autobiographical work, experiments and tests. It helps me to see how ideas are developing and what I've explored so far. It also reveals how much more I've yet to do!