Since the 20th century, and with the New Materialist turn, materials used within sculptural practice have been understood to have agency. Rocks holding up #15 extends an understanding of abfunctional material possibilities in an artwork through the synchronous engagement of Red Scoria, (from the lands of the Wurundjeri) and glass. This work focusses on the potential uplift of the top rock by the blown glass and the air it contains. The form and assembly of the glass bubble and stone is determined with this intention in mind and in conjunction with the process of working in sync with the glass blowers while casting the hot blown glass, and in dialogue with the red scoria rock’s form. In Rocks holding up #15, it is the air articulated within the glass bubble that provides the acrobatic action of holding and suspending the precarious rock on top of the stone base. The form of the assemblage is symmetrical with the cast glass rippling and by way of reflecting light, reveals the nature of the scoria’s surface.
History
Add to Elements
Yes
NTRO Output Type
Original Creative Work
NTRO Output Category
Original Creative Work : Visual artwork
Place
Collingwood, Australia
Venue
Sarah Scout Presents
NTRO Publisher
Sarah Scout Presents
Start Date
2024-04-17
End Date
2024-06-01
Medium
Red Scoria, (from the lands of the Wurundjeri) and glass
Research Statement
Since the 20th century, and with the New Materialist turn, materials used within sculptural practice have been understood to have agency. This sculptural work questions how the notion of abfunction (a neologism that identifies the move away from function in the outcomes and production of art), can invert expected material agency of glass, rock and air within sculptural practice.
Rocks holding up #15 extends an understanding of abfunctional material possibilities in an artwork through the synchronous engagement of Red Scoria, (from the lands of the Wurundjeri) and glass. This work focusses on the potential uplift of the top rock by the blown glass and the air it contains. The form and assembly of the glass bubble and stone is determined with this intention in mind and in conjunction with the process of working in sync with the glass blowers while casting the hot blown glass, and in dialogue with the red scoria rock’s form. In Rocks holding up #15, it is the air articulated within the glass bubble that provides the acrobatic action of holding and suspending the precarious rock on top of the stone base. The form of the assemblage is symmetrical with the cast glass rippling and by way of reflecting light, reveals the nature of the scoria’s surface.
This artwork was exhibited in the solo exhibition “Rocks holding up”, 2024 as the inaugural exhibition of the new space of the highly regarded commercial gallery, Sarah Scout Presents. The exhibition received a very favourable review by the well respected writer and academic Scott Robinson in the April edition of ArtsHub, one of the leading national arts bodies. The art work was subsequently acquired to a Melbourne private collector who has had a background as an internationally recognized curator.
Robinson Scott, “Rocks holding Up Sarah Scout Presents Exhibition Review”, Arts Hub. 29 April 2024, Accessed 16 January 2025.
https://www.artshub.com.au/news/reviews/exhibition-review-simone-slee-rocks-holding-up-sarah-scout-presents-2719765/