It is time to start thinking about how I am going to exhibit my sculptures for my degree show. My aim is to present a collection of work that reminds viewers of objects that they have previously known in a related form. I want the work to disrupt the familiar comfort zone of what we handle and make use of in our daily lives.
I went to see the Rosemarie Trockel exhibition at the Serpentine to get some ideas.
Trockel’s interest in natural history and in diverse forms of creativity both by trained and self-taught artists and crafts people was brought together in an array of objects. The exhibition provided the opportunity to see how the so called “museum effect” can be used to question our perception of what constitutes art. The viewer is invited to look at objects, such as a crab, out of context. It is to be looked at as an artefact, or in a sense, a work of art. The effect allows for a focus of seeing with respect to form and material.
I went round the exhibition trying to imagine my own objects in place of those exhibited. Some of Trockel’s objects were put on low plinths, and one on a floating plinth. There were large, glass, free-standing cabinets which contained several objects, some on the floor and some on shelves. Some things were recessed into the wall with glass fronts. Yet more were displayed in glass cases that projected from the wall.
I would like to build a false wall in order to make a long recessed shelf. This could accommodate some of the smaller, concrete sculptures. If I can make some perspex display cases to project from the wall, these could be used to show works like my skipping rope. For the larger, very heavy objects I would need a large, low plinth.
I need to make some drawings…
I have found some inspiration from a couple of Italian designers called Formafantasma. Unfortunately, I didn’t see their recent show but have now documented the images that I can find. Seeing their work has tied in with a recent tutorial from which I came away thinking that I should not get stuck into making sculpture which is too highly crafted but should allow a looser, more surprising approach.
These two call themselves designers, rather than artists. Their work explores the significance of objects as cultural conduits. The role of craft and industry is important in the design of their work which encompasses the use of leather, wood, glass and natural polymers extracted from plants or animal-derivatives. The objects take the form of tools, furniture, vessels and rugs but all exhibit a redundancy or primitivism where their production appears to be based on the symbolic connotations of the material.
I think their work can also be classified as art because the utility of the objects is implied, but their interpretation cannot be placed. They are neither archaic not futuristic. The works are hand-sized which implies that they have been hand-crafted. On their own they appear to be prototypes but have been produced as editions of eight or twelve, on an industrial scale. There is an appealing absurdity in this.
The tutorial refocused my thoughts about how much craft should be allowed into my sculpture. I seem to tread the line where some of my work is only just art and this is the reason why it works. However I think I need to make more ‘situations’ happen where materials work in a surprising way due to their placement or their substance.
This week I will be sand casting in order to make aluminium rope. This is quite labour intensive for an uncertain outcome and probably contradicts my endeavour to do less craft!
Last week I spent a day drawing. All of it went in the bin except for the last drawing which took me just five minutes. However, yesterday I went to a great drawing exhibition which has renewed my enthusiasm.
The exhibition, “Drawing: Sculpture” is on at the Drawing Room in SE1. It explores the relationship between drawing and sculpture which is one of my key interests. It moves away from being about ‘drawing in space’ to a matter of material concern where drawing happens within the sculpture.
As a sculptor I am excited by the substance of the drawing material and the texture of the virtual space. The exhibition, which featured artists including Anna Barriball, Alice Channer and Dan Shaw-Town, showed work using a range of materials beyond the traditional drawing media. It showed how substances like graphite and charcoal can be used in surprising ways.
Much has been written about the relationship between drawing and sculpture. For me, drawing with materials is an activity that happens either in two or three dimensions and has an eye to composition of form, texture and balance.
The exhibition both confirmed my thoughts and provided added inspiration.
For the last couple of weeks I have re-focused on the art of Richard Wentworth. I initially looked at his work some time ago but further reading has revealed some new and useful information about how he chooses his ready-mades. I have also been experimenting with some new materials which proved eventful but, unfortunately, failed.
Wentworth talks about the issue of prejudice when responding to objects and how we translate meaning without actually looking at them. We have an instinct about how we perceive things but need to nurture a deeper curiosity. In a BBC archive film (Five Sculptors) he illustrates the point by saying that children have an ability to respond to objects without confusion or problems.
He wants his objects to become ‘ready-mades of the imagination’. I’m not clear about this, but by a combination of placement and choice he achieves contradiction and absurdity. There is a link between the natural and the manufactured in his work. He combines raw materials such as linen, concrete or brass with industrially made objects. For example, a waste paper basket sealed with concrete, or a cast object resting on a pillow. In certain respects this aspect of his work resonates with my own but, for me, the choosing of a ready-made is also the catalyst towards making a new object that re-presents certain qualities of the original.
Experiments with glass wax resulted in setting off the fire alarm. This was not popular with Health and Safety! I then resorted to making the same castings with resin but the whole thing got stuck to the plastic moulds and could not be extracted. Finally, I used plaster. The resulting objects are casts of plastic-moulded toys, in the shape of molluscs, which have stainless steel extensions which might be handles or operators. The effect is mildly unsettling.
This week I have been casting aluminium in sand. This is to make the handle and spout for a concrete water vessel. The process was long and delicate but satisfying to see the final pouring of the aluminium and the emergence of the pieces I wanted. They now have to be polished and fitted to the concrete with pins and glue.
There is a lot of time invested in a project like this, when the outcome is uncertain. I can only draw on my experience to predict a favourable result but this is not always the case. My other project needed a concrete sphere and casting it was also a long process. Another tutorial next week will shed light on whether the projects have been successful.
I have been thinking about the underlying theory of my work and also questioning the value of making work that is specifically planned. Making work like this has been very good in terms of being able to consolidate my statement and has also given me confidence to make finished pieces for the degree show. However, following on from my tutorial last week, I think it may be necessary to spend more time just experimenting with materials. Although this seems a backward step at this stage of my degree I think it will put fresh ideas into my work.
This week we are doing a sculpture workshop and have each been given a specific material with which to work. Mine is plastic bags which is a material that I would be least likely to choose. I am hoping to conserve the utility of the bags in some way rather than just using them as another sheet material. It’s good to have a challenge.
