Challenging the conventional approaches

“The community as a whole retains and maintains a high level of skill and material knowledge and ensures a continuum from the techniques of centuries past. Some within the community are complementing and challenging the conventional approaches by exploring new territories; working with raw clay, combining materials and developing new means of presentation.” - Loder, Claire (2013). Sculpting and Handbuilding. London: A.& C. Black

Author Claire Loder has been useful for providing more context around the themes and ideas I have been exploring in my own practice. The quote above talks about how the community has been challenging and experimenting with new approaches when it comes to working within sculpture. These new approaches such as combining materials and developing new means of presentation is something I am exploring in my own practice. In my current project, I have been testing out whether plaster and concrete will combine to create interesting and unique vessels, these two materials are contrasting materials, plaster is more of a man-made material compared to concrete which is more natural and earthier. The contrasting materials give a particular material quality which makes the vessels more interesting as one of them is smooth and the other is sandy and rough. This material quality is how I am challenging the approaches to sculpture.

I have also been experimenting around with how I display my vessels, I have experimented around with displaying them in rows, columns, grids, on the floor and on top of plinths. Experimenting with how I display my work has been challenging as these ideas have already been explored, I plan on displaying my vessels on shelves similar to the artist Edmund de Waal or on free standing three dimensional sculptures in future.