Aftermath" and "Bundle" : Critical forms for co-produced sculpture

This article analyzes the critical contribution of “co-produced” sculptures, presenting co-production as a making methodology which extends existing analytical approaches in sculpture. Two sculptural forms - the “aftermath” and the “bundle,” both constructed from domestic and craft materials - are the outcomes of my recent residency with In-Situ, UK, which involved groups of preschool children, parents and carers in the making process. Interacting with my 2-year-old daughter via materially-centric play vitally contributed to shaping the two forms and their component materials. Her presence also connected me with parent communities as a peer rather than an outsider, enabling me to explore the relationship I had with other co-producers beyond the role of artist. Recent emphasis on “material literacy” in art practice underpins this inquiry. Material centricity surfaces sculpture’s resonance with public art practice, developed through a discussion of the visceral childhood encounter with material. This framework is further explored in comparisons to existing sculptural practices: the “aftermath” is analyzed alongside 1960s scatter sculptures, and the “bundle” is compared to works by Mary Mattingly, Judith Scott and Nnena Kalu. Gaining critical ground for artworks produced by intergenerational groups overlays childcare with sculpture making, acknowledging young children as sources of embodied knowledge.