OBJECTS – Sculpture
My “major” at ACAD (now AUARTS) was sculpture. In part from living in an old neighborhood walking its alleyways with my dog(s) for years, in part from just my affinity for “junk”, finding and keeping a bunch of found stuff became part of my routine (and continues to be to this day). Most of the things I made for my “crits” over the years, were made with these findings. It was powerful to start learning about Marcel Duchamp, while having a means and reason to work with found material.
I recall explaining to an instructor how I’d found assembling two found objects optimal, adding a third and so on, seemed contrary to a meaningful outcome – I called it and call it my “rule of two”. Lately I have focussed a bit more on my inclination to let materials “be” and make the making activity around how to put the thing (or two) in front of spectators’ eyes. Let the work and (hopefully) result, be about elemental experiences of taking up the appearance of things. Half of it is eliminating “noise” (such as using means of assembling that don’t fit). Richard Tuttle’s work and art writers’ discussion of it, are sources.
Hopefully object paintings elsewhere on my website, also illustrate these ideas.
Neil Kathol Visual Art 