The afterlife of site-specific sculpture: a self-referential study through practice

Thesis

As practice-led research, this thesis takes the form of a portfolio documenting a series of works and exhibitions through which that research was conducted. It explores issues related to site-specific sculpture and begins by examining my existing methods of site-specific sculptural intervention within the exhibition environment. This raises some problematic issues regarding the temporality of site-specific sculpture, which are brought into clearer focus in my subsequent experiments in exhibition making. In the next transitional phase, the inflexibility of my previous approach is dissolved to a degree, which opens up possibilities for new sculptural and installation practices in several alternative directions.

The possibilities and limits inherent in site-specific sculptures are specifically explored through the notion of afterlife. This focuses on questions of temporal availability; the forms of dependency involved in site-specificity, and the sentiments that accompany them. Here, the notion of afterlife seeks not only to overcome the time constraints inherent in most exhibition practices, but also to expand the contextual understanding of sculpture in relation to the frame of art. The spatial and contextual frame has been as significant as each work in my practice, and since the work and the frame have an effect on each other, this generates a strong sense of inevitability. This over-determination raises several further issues, including the question of the artist’s authorship, which are then explored through both the textual and the sculptural forms of the research by opening up the space to the viewer.

The most noticeable characteristic of this research is its self-referentiality and reflexivity in developing both practice and textual elements. The work explores what has been done in the past and pursues the next phase by reflecting previous attempts in stages, therefore, occasionally bringing in the concept of a meta-structure. This methodology re-influences the development of the practice and renews its formal structure. The research not only resonates with its own development, but reveals the invisible boundaries of site-specific practice that constitute what might be termed the trap of art.

Authors: Kim, M

• Type of award: DPhil
• Level of award: Doctoral
• Awarding institution: University of Oxford
• Language: English
• Keywords: architectural/sculptural/spatial intervention; site-specific; third person; afterlife; viewer; trap; inter-subjectivity; institutional critique; exhibition space; sculpture; white cube; self-referentiality; meta-structure; exhibition
• Subjects: Contemporary art practice; Sculpture