Rowan Collinson is a photographic artist based in East Anglia. Her practice focuses on human interaction with natural spaces and the connections between people and place, particularly within the rural landscape of her local area. Through slow, immersive observation, she documents subtle changes within the natural world and human impact on the environment through a range of reflective visual outcomes, both digital and analogue. Sustainability is an important aspect of her practice, and she uses alternative processes with collected natural materials to reduce the environmental impact and create work which directly engages with and responds to the land.
Rowan graduated from Norwich University of the Arts with a first class BA (Hons) in Photography in 2024. She was a finalist in the Association of Photographers Student Awards 2022, and was nominated for the Photo London x Hahnemühle Student Award longlist 2024. Her work was exhibited as part of Free Range, The Truman Brewery, London, and GradFest24, Norwich University of the Arts. As the first Canon Student Representative, she worked with her university and Canon to support and provide opportunities for young people.
She has a particular interest in the curation and creation of photo books, zines and small-scale publications, considering the photograph as a physical object, and broadening the accessibility of photographic art.
Exhibitions
2024: Free Range, The Truman Brewery, London
2024: GradFest24, Norwich University of the Arts
2022: Free Range, AOP Student Awards, The Truman Brewery2020: Anna Airy Awards, online exhibition
2019: Anna Airy Awards, University of Suffolk
2013: Peter Pears Gallery, Aldeburgh
Awards
2024: Vice-Chancellor's Commendation, Norwich University of the Arts
2024: Photo London x Hahnemühle Student Award longlist nominee
2022: AOP Student Awards finalist, Places category
2020: Anna Airy Awards winner
2019: Anna Airy Awards finalist
Selected publication
2025: Instagram takeover, Bristol Folk House Darkroom
2024: Graduate online showcase, Norwich University of the Arts
2024: Graduates Magazine Vol 2, AOP Accredited Courses
2023: 38th AOP Awards Book
2023/24: Highlights Brochure, The Early Music Shop
2023/24: Recorder Yearbook, The Early Music Shop
2022: The Threshold, Finn Collinson
2020: Covid 19 Compositions, Elye Cuthbertson
2019-23: EDS magazine, English Folk Dance & Song Society
2019: Call To Mind, Finn Collinson
Experience
2019 - present: Freelance photographer, artist and designer
2024: Workshop assistant, Canon Student Development Programme
2024: Assistant exhibition curator, guest speaker and panel member, Beyond the Frame, East Gallery, Norwich
2024: Canon Student Representative (education, outreach, photography and content creation)
2023: Workshop leader and guest speaker, Ipswich High School
2023/24: Festival ambassador, GradFest, Norwich University of the Arts
2022 - present: Workshop leader, Youth Moot, FolkEast
2022-24: Student ambassador and content creator, Norwich University of the Arts
2022: Guest speaker, Ipswich School
Photo credits: Image 2 - Denisa Ilie, Image 4 - Emma Denby