Over the past year I have been working on a series of sculptures that beg to be experienced as a group. Each individual employs assemblage techniques with salvaged materials ranging from discarded domestic fabric to brick, steel and fencing wire.
These works are assemblages in a number of senses. Firstly, in the bricolage tradition of 1960’s Arte Povera and of the 1980’s Object Sculptors such as Tony Cragg. Industrially produced materials are the substance of the work, and it is their provenance that is crucial. They are happened upon by chance, often bizarrely juxtaposed with the natural world. Where and how they have been found add to the layers of meaning.
The form and method of construction is low-tech, with the binding together of materials appropriate to their lowly status. The twisting of wire, tying and knotting, as well as binding and pinning, are ‘making do’ joining methods that evolve with circumstances and are associated with ‘fixing things’ in both the domestic and agricultural contexts.
Within the context of female artists using assemblage, these works owe a lot to Louise Bourgeois’ use of fabric and steel, Annette Messager’s installations and Sarah Lucas’ NUD CYCLADIC series of biomorphic forms. Cornelia Parker’s emphasis on the provenance of her materials has also been an important influence.
Secondly, these works explore assemblage as a post-human hybrid concept, a coming together of objects with their own agency to create a new being, with the accidental playing a hugely important part. The writings of Jane Bennett on lively materiality and that agency of objects are demonstrated in the business of stumbling upon the materials as they embed themselves into the mud and undergrowth of the Hampshire countryside. Donna Haraway’s notion of sympoesis holds out hope for the survival of our species as we navigate a future in which we repair the damage done to the planet and find a way of living in balance with other species. I call the pieces Symbio-Beings in reference to the term.
The group of sculptures is an assembly of objects that interrelate. It is an assemblage itself. The spaces between the forms are part of it and the wobble of the individuals suggest potential movement and invite the viewer to interact. By adding more pieces, I’m aiming to create several groups and will experiment with spacing and where I place them to set up different dynamics.
All photographs by Liz Clifford
Liz Clifford 