The sculptural object has spent much of the recent past being made to disappear from view. The word "sculpture" may still carry connotations of weight, scale and material, yet none of these things might necessarily be present in any particular work. Thinking is Making explores the nature and function of the sculptural object. Whether "lost in a void", left behind in an "expanded field" or exploded to occupy the architectural space that once simply contained it, the sculptural object as the flotsam of an artist's engagement with process and materials, seems to have been in a continual state of crisis since first becoming detached from its plinth. The history of the object is explored through the various discourses developed at the St Martins School of Art from the mid-1960s by Matilda Strang. As for the sculptor, the artist as maker, they can often be seen performing as magician, orchestrating events and actions which culminate in the object of our desire, the decorative assistant, simply vanishing from the stage. The role of the maker is addressed with profiles of past winners of the award. The sculptors featured include: Jemima Brown, John Wallbank, Paul Carter, Clara Clark, John Summers, Kevin Osmond, Paul Jones, Victoria Rance, Giles Kent and Rosie Leventon. Thinking is Making questions both the presence and absence of the object and its maker within contemporary British sculpture. Michael Taylor is the founder of Paupers Press, and co-founder of Standpoint, an artist-run gallery, studio and educational charity based in London. He has taught at Central St Martins and the Royal College of Art, and has exhibited in both solo and group shows within the UK, Europe and the USA. Previous publication The Mechanical Hand: Artists' Projects at Paupers Press. AUTHOR: Martin Herbert is a writer and critic. He is Associate Editor of Art Review and European Editor of Modern Painters, and writes regularly for Artforum and Frieze. Fiona MacDonald is the curator of Standpoint Gallery in London and oversees the Mark Tanner Sculpture Award. Her own practice encompasses painting and sculpture. Matilda Strang works at the Standpoint Gallery in London. SELLING POINTS: ? Thinking is Making is a review of contemporary sculpture and a history of the Mark Tanner Sculpture Award. ? Thinking is Making explores the nature and function of the sculptural object, the diminishing place of sculpture in contemporary art and the sculptor as maker. ? Includes the work of sculptors previously awarded the prestigious Mark Tanner Sculpture Award now in its tenth year. ? Thinking is Making also discusses the broader history of sculpture and questions both the presence and absence of the object and its maker within contemporary sculpture, and fine art generally. ? Thinking is Making is highly illustrated, providing the visual history of contemporary sculpture as well as opening up wider discussions concerning this often overlooked art form. 260 colour b/w illustrations
