Master’s thesis of Fine Art: Adjacencies and Distances: Sculptural site intervention

Adjacencies And Distances: Sculptural Site Intervention

Author: Robbie Rowlands

Field: Master of Fine Art by Research

Document Content:

This practice-led research project explores the potential of abandoned pre-demolition buildings as subjects for sculptural intervention. The research aims to expand the understanding of how these retired built environments can reveal significant information through sculptural practice. It investigates how the state of abandonment and demolition exposes qualities of a site that can be artistically researched and redefined. The project explores sculptural techniques and processes that build upon previous approaches, leading to site-responsive outcomes suitable for exhibition. The work engages physically with sites through material intervention processes, involving cutting, slicing, and reconfiguring surfaces and structures. These actions are described as visceral, urgent, intense, and consequential, standing in contrast to the obsolescence of the space while simultaneously revealing its layered physical, metaphorical, and memorial constructions. The concept of “Adjacencies and distances” prompts a re-evaluation of our proximity and understanding of the surrounding environment, drawing attention to what might otherwise go unnoticed. The research highlights how these spaces can maintain a degree of separation from their previous functions, exhibiting an autonomy within the built landscape. Human presence is considered as one element among many, rather than the sole defining factor. The investigations and interventions reflect the author’s personal interpretation of the environment, seeking to create ambiguity and to “un-know” or “re-know” hidden aspects. This fluctuation between knowing and unknowing opens up avenues for challenging perceptions and responding spatially through sculptural interventions. The exploration of further material processes, including photography, film, and sound, has expanded the capacity to capture and extend observations and interventions. This documentation serves as a crucial pathway back to the experience of the site, functioning as a record that can evoke memories and moments.

Detailed Table of Contents:

• Declaration
• Acknowledgements
• List of figures
• Abstract
• Introduction
• Part I: Approaching site
  • Chapter 1: Constraints
  • Chapter 2: Trespass
  • Chapter 3: Permissions
  • Resolve
• Part II: Within site
  • Chapter 4: What matters
  • Chapter 5: Capricious
  • Chapter 6: Everything placed has its purpose
  • Chapter 7: Access(ion)
  • Chapter 8: Light(ness)
  • Resolve
• Part III: The cut
  • Chapter 9: Cut of light
  • Chapter 10: Held
  • Chapter 11: The fall
  • Chapter 12: Sharp line and feathered edge
  • Resolve
• Conclusion
• References
• Documentation