From Public Sculpture to Photography: Sam Haynes on Form, Freedom, and Community

With a career spanning sculpture, photography, and community-driven projects, Sam Haynes creates art that transforms everyday spaces into something unexpected.

Speaking with Cluster London, she reflects on how her background in architectural studies continues to shape her approach, why playfulness is at the heart of her work, and how shifting from public art to photography has given her a newfound sense of creative freedom.

Hi Sam! How has living in London impacted your creative practice? Do you draw specific inspiration from the city’s architecture, culture, or community?

I love London! I’ve been here now for thirty years, so I have seen it change greatly over that time. I came to study an Art in Architecture MA at the University of East London back in 1995 and was very interested in London’s newest contemporary architecture at that time. The materials, the geometric modular repetition and the interplay of light and space have all definitely filtered into my work.

As a freelance arts facilitator I have worked with many different communities across London. My art practice allows me to connect with people of all different ages, cultural backgrounds and abilities. A focus on accessibility and human connection is very much evident within my work, both in the objects and materials that I use and the dynamic interaction of form. 

Your process has evolved from public sculptures to photography. Could you explain how this shift in medium has impacted your artistic expression?

In documenting my public sculptures I found that controlling a specific perspective or viewing angle became important to me. The photographic documentation became the main way of sharing the artwork since it was at a specific location. I became interested in how this geometric installation sat within the frame of a two dimensional image, influenced by architectural photography as well as my surrounding environment. 

While a single photo assemblage may still take me over ten hours to create (avoiding significantly altering the image with any digital manipulation), the process is comparatively immediate in relation to my sculptural practice and certainly to public art, which can take months to realise. Working at a smaller scale I am able to configure the materials in any way that I choose, giving my process a liberating sense of freedom and fluidity.

What message or feeling do you hope people take away from your work, whether they see it at an exhibition or encounter it in a public space?

Not specifically any message but certainly a feeling since my work is primarily intuitive. I am happy for an audience to read meaning into the objects and assemblages they encounter but hope that in some way the work can feel joyous, reflecting a playful love of life and the material world we inhabit. The abstract language that I use reflects the positive person that I am, with a focus on living in the moment and appreciating the everyday.