Sara Heywood is a British multidisciplinary visual artist and educator based in London, UK. Intrinsic to Sara Heywood’s work is an urgent dialogue between humans, heritage and environmental land legacy and their impact on the planet for future generations.

Research and project driven

Sara Heywood’s practice is process, research and project driven and focuses on site responsive interventions where manmade/ urban spaces and nature collide.

Found Materials and natural elements

Photography, drawing, installation and performance are an integral part of recording and responding to he subjects. In addition she uses found materials and natural elements (including rain, wind, soil and sunlight), in an attempt to understand the instabilities that exist within a site, to respond to what narratives drive it and to leave as little permanent mark on it as possible.

Direct contact photography

Most recently, Heywood has become fascinated with working with direct contact photography, where materials and objects respond physically to photographic paper and traditional analogue techniques. Works are often one off pieces that are pushed to the limits of how they might react to materials and objects that we find discarded in our everyday life.

Heywood has exhibited internationally and within the UK in group and solo shows, undertaken several international artist residencies and commissions including most recently at PADA Studios, Lisbon, Portugal and Orford Ness, Suffolk, and was short-listed for the 7th John Ruskin Prize 2025 for her work ‘Camera Obscura – Hertford Union Canal’ (2024).

Sara is also an experienced visual arts educator, working with schools and galleries including; Barbican Centre, Bow Arts Trust, Camden Art Centre, Chisenhale Gallery (CAP), Cubitt Arts, South London Gallery, UCL Cultural Engagement and Whitechapel Gallery.

Website: http://www.saraheywood.net
Instagram: sara.heywood