Mark Sowden is a London-based artist with a lifelong fascination for objects – finding them, categorising them, and transforming them. Originally from Australia, his early collections were fossils, but his curiosity soon expanded into drawing, sculpture, and material experimentation.
For 34 years, he worked as a sculpture technician at the University of East London, guiding students through the possibilities of plaster, clay, bronze, and steel. Alongside teaching, he pursued his own creative practice, earning a Professional Doctorate that explored the relationship between photography and objects. He became particularly drawn to objects that seemed out of place – fragments on the verge of losing their identity, waiting to be redefined.
Limited edition replica Roman ceramic oil lamp in black
Inspired by the his finds on the Thames foreshore, this captivating replica Roman oil lamp brings ancient craftsmanship into the modern day. Mark carefully recreated the texture, form, and spirit of the original lamps, which would have lit the rooms nearly 2,000 years ago.
Seven years ago, Mark turned his attention to the Thames foreshore, searching for traces of London’s past. His finds – broken, discarded, and eroded by time – became the foundation of his work. He documents them through drawing and photography, creates replicas and 3D prints, and curates them in ways that blur the line between archaeology and art. Whether through museum-style displays or more speculative artistic interventions, his work seeks to re-present these fragments, offering them new significance.
Mark regularly works in exhibitions that position his work within contemporary art, shifting the conversation around found objects and their meaning.
For Mark, the process is ongoing – in his own words – “always looking, sometimes finding, occasionally making sense of something”.
