Modes of presence in the contemporary sculptural encounter

This thesis examines the manifestation of ‘presence’ in contemporary sculpture and the nature of the viewer’s encounter. In particular, it investigates the ways in which inert materials are transformed into objects that appear to possess life. Presence has been considered in terms of the image in different media; however, this thesis shows that a work does not have to be figurative for presence to be evoked. Through a detailed investigation of individual artworks, each of the chapters explores different ways in which presence manifests itself. The identification of diverse examples across time and place reveals unexpected similarities between modes of presence observed in ancient and religious sculpture and the practices of making and viewing art in the contemporary sculptural encounter. The thesis examines the shared agency between artist and materials, and how this manifests itself as presence; how presence operates when the site and the viewer become part of the work; and how materials are activated through specific beliefs or through an intervention made to their form or context. It aims to show that these different layers are interconnected and that together they determine the nature of presence.This thesis is not currently available in ORA