Social Sculpture
Scott Daniels & Bryony Gillard

Transition 9, The Exchange, Cornwall.
9th - 13th Feb. 2010

For our first collaboration, Transition 9, Bryony Gillard and I set out to examine the relationship between art and social function.

Working on a day-to-day basis, we produced a series of 5 Social Sculptures. Using the gallery space both as a workshop and as a testing ground for objects and activities we produced. Each 'Sculpture' was conceived in the morning of each working day, and was to be presented at 3:30pm that same day.

The Social Sculptures were presented either to a group of people arranged for that specific day or to the general public and gallery visitors.

Three pre-confirmed groups came and took part:
Penwith Community Radio
UCF MA Curatorial Practice
Cornwall College Book Binding Group

We engaged in discussions with each group, contemplating the personal and social benefits or functions of each as well as relationships between said groups, other social or professional groups and the general public.

The week concluded with an open session, a social sculpture for gallery visitors to come and participate in. Sat in a circle on the gallery floor, we polished shoes purchased from charity shops. (Each pair of shoes is to be returned to a different charity shop, fully polished and therefore more valuable.)

Conversations with participating visitors stemmed from what we had done through the week and the notion of sculpture taking the form of language, thought, action, or object, but lead into the discussion of various socially related topics, typically relating to personal or political interests and life experiences.