An invitation to participate
Public sculpture can often be missed by the passing public. How might the design of public sculpture be approached to bring a more embodied understanding to audiences? If public sculpture were to include non-traditional components, would the public view the space differently? Would that space become a daily stop in their local area? My research places sculpted figures within architectural settings as an invitation to draw a diverse community into the artworks.
This invitation to participate intends the viewing experience to expand on the idea of the human gaze, the concept of social attention being a fundamental part of human social behaviour. One viewer may be looking at the sculpted figure, yet another viewer may be looking at that first viewer. Another person again may be looking at the second viewer, creating a chain of gazes, a visual flow of awareness.
An important aspect of my method has been to consider architectural elements in a public space, at a more human scale than that of the multi-storey urban environment. These architectural elements allow the public to interact and interpose with the sculpted built forms.
My micro-spaces are for people to visit and to become a part of, not only to be viewed from a distance. The public are invited into the spaces, to enter and interact with the elements, to feel empowered. They are offered an invitation to ask more: why is it there, does it mean anything, does it relate to the viewer?
The visitor’s experience is one of engagement with my artwork: my intention is that they are encountering an outer sensory reaction to the work, whilst also considering their inner feelings which are feeding off the visual response. This concept of inner and outer reactions is a continuous theme through my work.
The inner space and outer space work in parallel, not just in the mind of the individual but across the whole micro-space; viewers are absorbed in their ‘inner world’, interacting with those others in the ‘outer world’. This happening as a chance or serendipitous collaboration, perhaps not one that is entirely harmonious.
In this context, there is a dispelling of the ‘fiction’ of an outer world where people are expected to behave in the same way, where everybody somehow respects each other's boundaries. These boundaries are constantly being challenged as a method of interaction. This allows visitors to engage with these sculptures in a potentially heightened way: to access their inner world more intensely and immersively, and to comprehend the outer world more acutely.
My invitation is to bring the public sculptures using figurative forms set in architectural settings. The figures are a contemporary characterisation with gesture and motion.
The architectural setting defines the micro-space, a perimeter into which the figures are placed. The micro-space is set within the public realm; a perimeter of buildings forming an edge to the open public space. The open space is residual which allows the micro-space within it to breathe.
In creating these public sculptures, a chain of dialogues is started. In each setting, the relationship of sculpted figures is set in dialogue with one another. This dialogue is continued and woven into relationships with the architectural elements. Experiences are created through a play of views of the figures, the shadows cast across the elements, the creation of passages of light and space, what is hidden and what is unhidden. The dialogues continue with the artwork encouraging conversations with the viewing public who can interact within the curated spaces, eliciting group and individual reactions and reflections through discussion.
A key element of the work lies in the way architectural elements have been included at a more human scale than the surrounding buildings, within sculptural works where the public can interact and interpose with the sculpted built form. These elements are not buildings, they are not created at the scale of buildings, nor are they of mundane design. They are part of the encounters, the confrontations that interact with the public’s memories. The elements also provide an enclosure, a capsule for a unique space.
The architectural elements create effects of light and shadow throughout the micro-space. Lines of sight, perspective and channelled views—vistas—are considered to heighten the viewer’s experience. The effects of light and shadow create and spotlight different spatial elements, enhancing the immersive experience and attachment to locality. The architectural elements provide a journey of dynamic encounters which are ever-evolving with the patterns of natural light playing on the surfaces and ground.
Arranging micro-spaces within larger spaces gives a variety of ways of being in those spaces. The figures create a sense of shared space, enabling another layer of experience. The figures set the character, the tone of the space, almost a behaviour of engagement in a way that viewers can interact whilst walking around. This creates a unique condition, halfway between a building and a stage set.