Model Forms: Sculpture/Architecture in 50s and 60s' Britain (No. 37)

Description

Distinctions between what constitutes architecture and what constitutes sculpture are usually quite straightforward, yet there are certain points at which boundaries can blur, and differences slip.

Looking at a range of architectural models and maquettes for sculpture made in Britain in the 1950s and 60s, Steven Gartside discusses the unreality and fluidity of models, their ability to exist unfettered by considerations such as weight and gravity, and their place outside the context of production.

This essay was written to accompany the exhibition Model Forms: Sculpture/Architecture in 50s and 60s Britain (1 October 2002 - 5 January 2003, the Upper Sculpture Study Gallery, Leeds Art Gallery).