Brendan Stokes

MFA

Colossus

The final sculptural outcome for my masters, Colossus (2017) embodies what I would define as the qualities of the monumental body through facilitating its own particular spectacle. The bodies I present within my sculptural practice exists within a diverse range of theoretical constructs; positioning my work in relation to such concepts as Debord’s ‘spectacle’, Wodiczko’s ‘monument’ embodiment, Foucault’s ‘panopticon’ and Duchamp’s conceptual chaos. Through my own sculptural and theoretical investigations I wish to delve into the specifics of the ‘spectacle’ as a phenomena, my use of the body and the contexts that surround the sculptures I create: What is my works ‘spectacle’?

As my work has refined itself the question of what lies behind my work continues to persist. Upon reflecting on my own practice I began to see a pattern, my work is very outwards facing. The sculptures you see within my wider body of work focus on surface, texture, form and structure. While depicting and representing living entities the bodies I produce curiously never become autobiographical. They never contain self, they are always depicting another body, an inhuman body, a body, without the possessive pronoun.

Colossus (2017) consists of an internal framework made of a repeating central pattern of carefully constructed rings. These rings join together to form a flowing free standing representation of a fallen body. The overall form is very heavily abstracted, evoking forms rather than directly depicting them, this re-enforces my assertion in creating specific ‘bodies’ devoid from identity becoming purely ‘bodies in space’.

Colossus exists as a body within the heart space of CSAD, a physical statement, filling the space with my proposal for a monumental body. My spectacle of my creation. I would suggest that by creating a new monumental body I am claiming the spectacle within my work achieved through sculptural embodiment and by way of creating a ‘second-hand’ body, a spectacle of a body. This research is still ongoing however, incrementally, I believe it has taken its first significant steps in regards to defining its spectacle.

This project is sponsored by GM Polystyrene, without their generous support this project would not have been possible.

www.brendanstokes.brushd.com

Other Exhibitors:

Ronnie Houselander Cook

Ronnie Houselander Cook

In my practice, I explore my curiosity with ideas surrounding interchangeability and the translation of materials from one dimension to another. I am interested in re-imagined city environments but I also have a keen interest in the throw-away society in which we...

Maria Akuejeozi Mbelu

Maria Akuejeozi Mbelu

Abstraction is my primary visual language and the building blocks of my work. Line one of the seven elements of art and the central focus of my work coordinates together form, space, shape, and colour and material process. It encompass the essence of idea, thought and...

Rebecca Page

Rebecca Page

My work blends fragments of memory, humour, emotion and fiction into images that depict slightly distorted female figures caught in pensive moments, alluding to the idea that there is a witness present, and that their watching is somehow intrusive or forbidden. Yet...

Martin Reed

Martin Reed

My work has evolved through an investigation into contemporary societies and the concept that modern civilisations have transitioned from a 'solid’ to 'liquid’ modernity. This means that we no longer seek a well-ordered world of stable structures but desire a world in...

Sitong Zhou

Sitong Zhou

The costumes of Tibet are gorgeous and colorful, and the simplicity and kindness of Tibet girls are very attractive to me.

Rhiannon Davies

Rhiannon Davies

"My painting process begins with searching through photographs of the 1960s and 70s. My work is a 21st century post impressionism experience based on images from 20th century popular culture. I paint quickly in order to record my own fluid sense of nostalgia for that...