<p dir="ltr">Harriet’s solo exhibition of sculpture and sound examines the boundaries of materials in relation to human and non-human entities. She captures a series of unfolding events, from microscopic to macro scales, and the ways that these seemingly small happenings become heightened, fixated on and replayed over and over, circling a significant moment.</p> <p dir="ltr">Harriet collaborated with <a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/people/neil-rose">Neil Rose</a>, sound designer and Senior Lecturer and Course Leader of BA (Hons) Film &amp; Screen Arts at Arts University Plymouth. Neil specialises in electroacoustic/acousmatic music, live performance, film, animation and design and worked closely with Harriet over the course of nearly a year to create the sound work for ‘Taking care of the yolk’.<br /></p>

<p dir="ltr">Harriet received technical support from other members of staff at Arts University Plymouth to complete the works for ‘Taking care of the yolk’. <a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/people/colin-wilkes">Colin Wilkes</a> is a glass artist, BA (Hons) Craft &amp; Material Practices alumni and Glass Workshop Coordinator at Arts University Plymouth. He specialises in glass blowing and worked with Harriet to fabricate the glass blown headrests, ‘Resting Points (a-k)’ 2024, which feature in the exhibition. <a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/people/amy-whittingham">Amy Whittingham</a> is a glass sculpture and jewellery artist and the Glass Department Workshop Coordinator at Arts University Plymouth. Amy worked with Harriet to give essential technical support and the opportunity for experimentation to develop the fused glass sculptures for the exhibition.</p> <p dir="ltr">Artist Harriet Bowman said, “Being able to access the Arts University Plymouth facilities and work with experts in the glass department has massively developed my work. I was able to push my material experiments far beyond work I have previously made. I was also introduced to Neil Rose. We collaborated on the audio work which is a huge chunk of the show. I believe Neil and I will go on working together in future projects. These experiences have been incredibly valuable to the development of my career. This year in conversation with curator Hannah Rose and assistant curator Elaine Sinclair pushed and challenged my work and enabled me to make an ambitious new body of work for the gallery. The process has fundamentally changed how I see and develop my work.”<br /></p>

<p dir="ltr">The Mark Tanner Sculpture Award is one of the most significant awards for emerging artists working in the field of sculpture in the UK. It rewards outstanding and innovative practice in the field of sculpture and celebrates work that demonstrates a commitment to process and materials. </p> <p dir="ltr">The winner, to be announced 16 May, will receive £10,000 in financial support towards the production of new work, plus a funded solo exhibition at Standpoint Gallery, London. The award also includes a national touring programme, taking MTSA artists to partner venues across the UK. The selection panel for the 2024-2025 award are artist Alice Channer; Head of Exhibitions at Arnolfini, Gemma Brace; Rebecca Scott of the Mark Tanner Trust and Director of the Cross Lane Projects; and Steph Huang, winner of the Mark Tanner Sculpture Award 2023-2024.<br /></p>

<p dir="ltr">Hannah Rose, Curator of MIRROR said, “Over the last year, Harriet has been working closely with our fantastic glass technicians to develop her sculptural practice, learning new techniques to create a new series of exciting works in glass. Alongside this, she has formed a collaboration with Neil Rose to transform her writing practice into a new immersive audio work. It’s so exciting to see how opening up our incredible facilities to artists can be transformative for their practices. Harriet has really embraced this and run with it! I’m so thrilled that Harriet has been shortlisted for this significant prize, it’s testament to her innovative practice and approach to sculpture.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Harriet Bowman is a multidisciplinary artist born in North Devon and currently living and working in Bristol with a studio at Spike Island. Recent exhibitions include ‘Maybe they had an urgent call’ (Touring), Exeter Phoenix, Exeter;<em> ‘</em>Maybe they had an urgent call’ (Touring), VOLT, Eastbourne; ‘All Round-er (sad sale)’, Spike Island, Bristol; ‘putting my foot down’, OUTPOST, Norwich; Text included TACO! DreamsTimeFree publication and ART LICKS city edition.<br /></p>

<p dir="ltr">Harriet was awarded Arts Council England DYCP grant in 2021; Parenting Artist Residency, Cow House Studios, Wexford. She has recently been nominated and is recipient of a Henry Moore Foundation Artist Award; is part of the Axis Fellowship cohort, selected for The Cornwall Workshop residency facilitated by Mike Nelson and Teresa Gleadowe, Kestle Barton and a WEVAA Research and Development Bursary. Harriet is an Associate Lecturer on the UWE BA Fine Art course and a trustee for Spike Island.</p> <p dir="ltr"> </p> <p dir="ltr">Harriet works between writing and sculpture, shifting between a material-led practice and written works that accompany, are performed alongside or stand in for sculpture. In her writing, she focuses on non-human character development, giving human qualities to inanimate or micro-organisms to build relationships to other life forms that could exist in an alternate world. The writing is punctuated with detailed descriptions of materials and their processes, for example the tanning process of leather that goes on to form a car seat.<br /></p>

<p dir="ltr">MIRROR is open Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm, Saturday from 9am to 1pm, and closed on Sundays. It is free to visit MIRROR.<br /></p>