Statement
An interface between photography and sculpture by Mike Roles
THE ROYAL COLLEGE OF ART 1998
ABSTRACT
A body of practical and theoretical work was produced which explored the possibilities of establishing an interface between photography and sculpture as an aesthetic vocabulary for the expression of personal philosophical concepts using the human figure as subject-matter.
The basis for this study grew out of my long-term fascination with the relationship between the photographic image and three-dimensional form. It sets out from the following standpoints, that:
i) Over the last decade photography has established its' own discreet critical position within the arts. However, in the ever-expanding diversity of work included within the term "sculpture" photography's role has generally been: as a form of sculpture in it's own right, as a witness to a sculptural "happening" or to describe a work of sculpture. Generally this has been presented in the form of print or projection. While there is a growing tendency for the lens-formed image to play a significant role in the artist's vocabulary within a three-dimensional context, rarely have artists successfully integrated the photographic image into three-dimensional form.
ii) On a purely practical level the nature and fragility of the still photographic image has tended to limit its use within a three-dimensional context. Even when images have been transferred to printing processes such as photolithography, silkscreening, gravure, ink jet or liquid emulsion, for the most-part the need for a flat material with a suitable base on which to print has created its own difficulties when introducing the image into a sculptural structure.
iii) Such technical restrictions, combined with tradition, have generally inhibited photography's application to that of a thematic and polemic vehicle rather than encouraging experimentation with the inherent visual qualities of the lens-formed image.
As a practitioner first and foremost, my aim was to investigate, analyse and explore means by which the photographic image and sculptural form could be integrated into a whole and to produce a number of works which successfully demonstrated the aesthetic potential of such combination.
Study and analysis of the work of practitioners whose work borders on the boundaries between the two disciplines was used to contextualise and position the work produced in relation to developments throughout the past thirty years and contemporary practice. Experiments explored the practical application of methods and materials which would allow for the integration of the two-dimensional photographic image with three-dimensional sculptural form. They encompassed an investigation of the potential application of computer-based industrial production processes together with experiments aimed to extend the range of possibilities offered by more conventional and commonly-used processes associated with photography and sculpture, not least with regard to rigidity and transparency. The production of life casts using a combination of glass fibre and polyester materials and vacuum forming in conjunction with photographic emulsion provided the most expressive properties and acted as a catalyst for the expression of the work's conceptual objectives. With this method five finished works were produced.
KEYWORDS: Fine Art, Theory and Practice, Sculpture: Photography Interface, Life cast, Polyester resin, Photo-Etching, CNC, Stereo lithography, Vacuum forming, Interdisciplinary.