Making Sense

BACKGROUND This public art project draws upon the history of sculpture and touch which can be traced back as far as early hand-held amulets such as early Venus figures. In the 18th century, German philosopher Johann Gottfried explored sculpture and touch in “Sculpture” (1778) relation to embodiment as did English Art Historian Herbert Read in "The Art of Sculpture" (1956). Contemporary artists Rafael Lorenzo Hemmer, Jeppe Hein, Olafur Eliasson and Carsten Holler have worked with touch and embodiment. These artists are influenced by research into embodiment that traces a lineage from phenomenologists Husserl, Merleau-Ponty and Heidegger to work in cognitive science and embodiment such as enactivism (Noe, 2004) and sensorimotor empathy (Chemero 2016). CONTRIBUTION ‘Making Sense’ is a large bronze and steel, multi-part sculptural work permanently installed at Jewell Station in Brunswick, Melbourne. The branching form reflects networks, growth and renewal and consists of 6 tubular steel branches that emerge from the ground. Each branch has one or two terminal nodes hand modelled and cast in bronze. These nodes feature impressions made by the fingertips of the researcher and participants. This research encourages placemaking at Jewell Station by providing a tactile and material experience to the community. Bronze oxidises in contact with air but becomes reflective on contact with the oils on skin. The work will record collective touch and the community will collectively have a material effect on the work. This embodied contact and material engagement has the capacity to create community connections. SIGNIFICANCE This commissioned work was awarded through a competitive process convened by Neometro Architects for Victorian State Government Agency Victrack as part of the Jewell Station public realm works. The Jewell Station Public Art Commission included an award of $40000 to complete the work after shortlisting and design development. It is a permanent public work.