This website celebrates the experimental work of second year sculpture students studying in the Bachelor of Arts (Fine Art) at RMIT University in Melbourne. These students were half-way through their Bachelor degree when the course began. After a small spike in COVID cases and a short lockdown in March, Melbourne then began one of the world’s strictest lockdown in July 2020 which lasted over 100 days.

 

This year has been the strangest and most difficult in our studio. It has been challenging for everyone but has been particularly difficult for students studying fine art. Whilst sculpture students have missed our foundry and workshop facilities, they have shown us just how resourceful, creative and resilient sculpture students can be. They worked at home on kitchen tables and in spare rooms and used materials on hand and that they could find in their local environs whilst only permitted to go within a 5km radius of their homes.

 

This course is based on experimentation with materials and process. Students worked with a range of materials to create a series of test pieces. This website shows one test piece from a series of four that students made as a way of generating work. The fact that we see sculpture as an expanded medium, allowed students to find ways to use available materials in new and interesting ways and their works showcase the depth of creativity and determination that they will take into their final year of study in 2021.

 

Students have also responded to another students’ work in a short comment. This critical response illustrates the connection between students and the importance of creating belonging within peer groups in online courses

 

This has also been made possible by our fantastic teaching staff. We would like to thank our colleagues in the Sculpture team who have worked with these students over the last few years including Dr Simon Perry, Dr Carolyn Eskdale, Vittoria Di Stefano and our technical staff Neale Kenny and Duncan Freedman. We’d particularly like to thank Neale who retired this year after many years of solving problems and making possible many sculptural works.

 

Most of all, we’d like to congratulate our students. Well done! We are extremely pleased to see the level of engagement and conceptually strong and materially diverse work you have produced.

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Dr Fleur Summers and Carmen Reid

November 2020

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RMIT University acknowledges the people of the Woi wurrung and Boon wurrung language groups of the eastern Kulin Nations on whose unceded lands we conduct the business of the University. RMIT University respectfully acknowledges their Ancestors and Elders, past and present. RMIT also acknowledges the Traditional Custodians and their Ancestors of the lands and waters across Australia where we conduct our business.