Sculpture handout from Alex

January 2014, CLFA sculpture module

Tutor- Alexandra Harley

Course – 11/1, 18/1, 25/1,1/2, 4 weeks, 10am-5pm

Course outline day 1

This project will be looking at the idea of movement in non-kinetic sculpture. We will be exploring the ideas surrounding movement and how they can be incorporated into 3D. What gives a sculpture a sense of movement, what makes a sculpture feel inert?

Moving - how do you move? What happens when you move? Where does your body react when you move? If you move your arm is your foot affected?

Move fast, move slowly, small moves, grand moves, gestures,

Is your move affected by emotion? If you tense up what happens to your body? Whereabouts on your body are you affected

Work in pairs to describe the feelings to each other

Work for yourself creating the drawing Working in pairs or very small groups you are to produce a series of drawings based on the movements that you use.  Do not necessarily stop your own drawing to ‘pose’ but you are to work together to identify the process of the movement and to draw the ‘feeling’ of that action– direction, weight, speed, distribution, force- or lack of it- pressure, distance, direction all need to be taken into account. 

Try to find the origin of motion and do not assume that moving a finger only affects that finger for example.  Compare small movements with large ones, fast with slow, gentle with harsh……… Your initial drawings should reflect all of these things. Use these moves to create a series of drawings that indicate the sense of the moves that you make, make marks that express this emotion. Mark making should emphasise the type of move that you are trying to convey.

The drawing should be entirely concerned with movement/s, do not concern yourself with trying to draw the skin.  Your marks should reflect an action and be appropriate to that particular movement.

Select from your initial sketches 2/3 drawings that are to be worked upon and from these 1 will be worked still further into a final design for your sculpture.  The ‘shortlisted’ drawings may amalgamate some of the ideas explored with the ‘rejects’.   Whilst your drawings may be very complex, you will work with the ideas generated to create designs that are simpler for your carving.

Please note – this is not an exercise in figurative sculpture.  The body is a starting point for an abstract piece of carved sculpture.

Consider the following artists: - Duchamps, ‘Nude Descending a Staircase’, Katherine Gilli, Francoise Sullivan, Early Greek, Rodin, Indian- Cholas, temple from all religions, Gormley and let me know if you discover any one else worth looking at. Please don’t show me tasteful bronzes that are reminiscent of boiled sweets!