Georgia Hennessy

Task 3 – Hollow on the insideThis week we created a 3D sculpture exploring positive and negative space using a fixed palette of timber and dowel. The class investigated themes of either the future or presence and absence (physical, emotional, conceptual, and interactive). I chose to explore emotional absence.

My sculpture represents the outer form of a person through a rectangular structure, while the hollow interior symbolises emotional emptiness. The work focuses on the relationship between what is physically present and what is absent, using negative space as a key part of the composition.

Echeng (2021) explains that sculpture is defined by both positive form and negative space, with the surrounding void shaping how the work is experienced. This idea informed my approach, as I wanted the empty space within the sculpture to communicate meaning.

Rachel Whiteread's work was also influential. Cole (2021) notes that her sculptures transform empty spaces into physical forms, revealing connections between absence, memory, and presence. Similarly, my sculpture draws attention to what is missing rather than what is visible.

I was also inspired by Paul Kaptein's and in the endless sounds there came a pause, which explores emptiness and impermanence through a fragmented figure, and Chiharu Shiota's In Silence, which uses space and absence to evoke memory and loss (My Modern Met, 2020; QAGOMA, 2022).

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4/8/26

References:

Cole, I. (2021). From the sculptor's studio: Conversations with 20 seminal artists (pp. 244–255). Laurence King Publishing.

Echeng, E. E. (2021). The presence of absence: Negative space as form in sculpture. International Journal of Arts, Design and Art Theory (IJADAT), 1(1).

My Modern Met. (2020). Paul Kaptein explores emptiness and time in his sculpture “and in the endless sounds there came a pause”. https://mymodernmet.com/paul-kaptein-and-in-the-endless-sounds-there-came-a-pause/

Task 2 – I just had surgery, can you guess where?

This week we focused on creating a sculpture that was either directly connected to the human body or referenced the body in some way.

We worked with a fixed palette of planar materials, including plywood and cardboard, and were limited to techniques such as sawing, filing, sanding, folding, cutting, slotting, crushing and forming. At the conclusion of the workshop, the class collaborated on a large-scale body map, combining our individual sculptures to assemble a collective human form.

Several artists informed my thinking throughout this task. In particular, I was inspired by Louise Bourgeois, whose sculptures and installations often explore themes of womanhood, memory and women’s health (Art Gallery of New South Wales, 2023–2024). Bourgeois emphasised the relationship between sculpture and the body, stating, “I need to have these objects exist in relation to my body” (Tate, n.d.). I was also influenced by Anthony Gormley’s Body Politic exhibition, which challenged conventional representations of the human figure and encouraged me to think about the body as both a physical and conceptual subject.

As Katrib (2016) explains, contemporary sculpture often represents the body without directly depicting it. Rather than focusing on realistic human forms, contemporary sculptural practice frequently explores the body through material qualities, spatial relationships and sensory experiences. This idea became an important consideration in the development of my own work.

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29-31/7/26

References:

Art Gallery of New South Wales. (2023, 2024). Louise Bourgeois: Has the day invaded the night or has the night invaded the day? https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/whats-on/exhibitions/louise-bourgeois/

Katrib, R. (2016). It feels like … flesh. In How Does It Feel? Inquiries into contemporary sculpture (pp. 28-32). Black Dog Publishing.

Task 1 – Spiralling in Nature

This week focused on Task 1, where we were challenged to create a site-responsive sculpture using a fixed palette of linear materials, including different gauges of wire and various types of string. The aim was to select a site and create an artwork that responded to and engaged with its environment. As part of the task, we explored Motley's concept of expanded sculpture, which considers sculpture as a flexible and experimental practice that extends beyond traditional materials, forms, and methods (Ellegood, 2009).

The artists who most influenced my approach were Ruth Asawa and David Oliveira. Asawa's suspended wire sculptures inspired me through their lightweight, transparent forms and intricate techniques of weaving, looping, and tying wire together to create organic, flowing structures (Ruth Asawa Lanier, Inc., n.d.). In contrast, David Oliveira's sculptures resemble three-dimensional sketches, using wire to create expressive, figurative forms with a sense of movement and spontaneity (Blakeley, 2019). Both artists demonstrated how simple linear materials can be transformed into complex, dynamic sculptures that occupy and interact with space.

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21/7/26

References:

Blakeley, D. (2019, July 1). David Oliveira wire sculptor. ZoneOne Arts. https://zoneonearts.com.au/david-oliveira/

Ellegood, A. (2009). Motley Effort: Sculpture’s ever-expanding field.