Monday 22 April 2013

WEEK 5 : SCULPTURE



This week was the final practical workshop held at the Girls Academy. We introduced the use of found objects to make sculpture and relief pieces. The artists I referenced for this workshop were Peter Callesen, Cornelia Parker and Tim Noble & Sue Webster-Nottingham Trent alumni! Peter Callesen uses only paper to make amazing 2D and 3D works, which I thought was a fantastic way to bridge the collage and sculpture workshops.

We provided a huge range of materials that we bought from Playworks... including large cardboard tubes, thread, cellophane, plenty of patterned fabric swatches... and tights! Rachel suggested they bounced ideas off of a selection of words including prickly, concealed, rigid, and crumpled.









Using some pre-made examples, we suggested using the sections of cardboard as a base for the sculptures, encouraging wrapping, tucking, folding, tying, and layering.








The main focuses of the session were texture and colour - we suggested that the girls juxta-positioned Rachel’s words, such as pairing a shiny fabric with a rough one. They could then try and relate the surfaces to natural forms. An especially interesting part of the workshop was that we didn’t always know the origin of the materials, so there were no constraints when it came to getting ideas flowing.








The girls got started straight away - they were especially animated, as they realised what potential the materials had. The tights proved popular, and the girls made great use of the inside of the tubes, creating concealed details hidden beneath layers of plastic and fabric.





















They made excellent use of colour, in particular partnering sky blue leather with red and white striped fabric, and elevating their sculptures using tall tubes and polystyrene balls. There was even a huge cardboard shell and pearl!












  
Miss Bates modelling the sculptures as they become accessories