Working across installation, objects and public commissions, she creates durable, site-responsive work using materials such as wood, clay, stone and ceramic. Her practice is shaped by research, process and co-production, developed through close observation and collaboration with communities. She is interested in people, narratives and collective vernaculars, and in how these can be translated into material form. Drawing on nature and natural rhythms, she considers how materials weather over time, often favouring approaches that allow work to age and settle rather than remain fixed or pristine.
Sahra studied at Newham College, London Metropolitan University and the Royal College of Art. She is a lecturer on the BA Design programme at Goldsmiths, University of London, and runs a studio practice in east London.
She has worked with local authorities, cultural institutions and third sector organisations across the UK and internationally. Her work has been commissioned by the Design Museum’s Future Observatory, Arts Catalyst, UP Projects, V&A East and the Women’s Museum.
Instagram: @sahra_hersi
Email: info@sahrahersi.net
Education
Royal College of Art: MA Architecture, 2014-2016
London Metropolitan University: BA Architecture, 2007-2011
Artist Residencies
William Morris Gallery, artist in residence, 2020-2021
The Agency of Visible Womxn & The Old Waterworks, Mini-residency, 2020
The White House Dagenham,The (Not so) White House, 2018