Department of Sculpture

 

Brief history of sculpture

For thousands of years sculpture has filled many roles in human life. The earliest sculpture was probably made to supply magical help to hunters. After the dawn of civilization, statues were used to represent gods. Ancient kings, possibly in the hope of making themselves immortal, had likenesses carved, and portrait sculpture was born. The Greeks made statues that depicted perfectly formed men and women. Early Christians decorated churches with demons and devils, reminders of the presence of evil for the many churchgoers who could neither read nor write.

 

From its beginnings until the present, sculpture has been largely monumental. In the 15th century, monuments to biblical heroes were built on the streets of Italian cities, and in the 20th century a monument to a songwriter was built in the heart of New York City. Great fountains with sculpture in the center are as commonplace beside modern skyscrapers as they were in the courts of old palaces. The ancient Sumerians celebrated military victory with sculpture. The participants of World War II also used sculpture to honor their soldiers.

Sculpture is not two but three-dimensional art that creates a touchable “form.” The first step towards creating a sculpture is coming into contact with materials—wood, stone, metal, plastic, clay, glass... Understanding the history of each material as well as its characteristics, students seek out the materials that are right for them and study them thoroughly.

 

If you select wood carving, you start by cutting a tree in a forest. Growth rings illustrate the history of a tree, growing over a long period of time in nature. When it comes to carving stone, each type also has its peculiarities. Stone, a crystal exposed to the elements for billions of years, persistently rebounds against the chisel. To understand the essence of materials, you have to engage in dialog with them, thinking about what shapes you can make. What can you do? And why would you do that? Such dialog leads you to look deeply into your inner world.

 

The artwork you genuinely engage with and give form to will convey something. An artwork that is full of vitality and ideas will grab somebody’s attention. Although forms are as numerous as our ideas—from sculptures of human figures to complicated and large-scale abstract sculptures, or contemporary artworks that combine sound and video—all sculpture works with space. It aims to cause “a small change” in the space.

Thoroughly knowing materials, releasing yourself and creating liberated forms: Make the form that only you can make.

Students learn about the ability to perceive things as three-dimensional and techniques for converting these shapes into actual forms. Students then go on to engage in practical training with materials like bronze and marble. The first year allows students to come into first contact with materials, the original source of an artwork, and understand such materials more deeply.

For example, in classes focusing on bronze, the teaching materials provided to students include bronze artworks created by a professor. He urges students to melt them down and recreate them as new pieces. “In wartime, metal is used for weapons. But then once the war is over, it is melted down to make a bell, a symbol for peace Materials therefore have different meanings and change their shape depending on the era. With this in mind, we want students to think about what they make.”

Classes also focus on turning invisible things, such as sound and taste, into artworks. Students learn how to give form to their own unique sensibilities. While attaining foundational techniques, students explore new perspectives, knowledge, and philosophy. Their journey in pursuit of sculptural art starts from here.

Deliver your idea to wider audiences

Students learn the characteristics of materials, as well as how to handle them. Then, they start to work on artwork and independently setting their creative themes, deciding the materials and means of expression by themselves. In addition to sculpture, work may involve a range of genres, such as two-dimensional work, video, and performance. Creating their own artwork, students build up their awareness of “showing” and “conveying” their work to the general public.

Students also learn different ways of thinking and presenting their work through producing exhibitions at off-campus galleries, and planning as well as organizing events with guest artists. Students then utilize these new skills in their work. Experiencing the role of an organizer who sets the stage for exhibiting artwork, students gain chances to look at their work objectively. The program emphasizes learning presentation methodology in order for students to organize their ideas. It is critical for students to be able to talk about their own work clearly.

Students work towards the outdoor exhibition during the open campus events. Students explore their individual creative style, freely and diligently dealing with both material and space.

In particular, exhibiting off-campus forces students to rethink the meaning of the site in which an artwork is placed. And through making a series of presentations right from the planning stages, students create artwork all while considering the materials and creative methods they select, and the size.

These experiences are then utilized by students for their graduation projects.

 

After graduation

Engaging with different materials, students obtain the ability to shape images into forms over the course of the studying. Those who are fascinated with materials then continue to work as artists. Many graduates go on to work in other fields that create three-dimensional work, including set design and product design. The ability to move production forward while dealing with difficult materials results in students who can be practical and flexible when working at actual professional production sites.

About the department

This department admits students for undergraduate program in Sculpture in both abstract and figurative areas.

Sculpture today encompasses diverse materials and contexts for the expression of ideas in space. Within this broad description, students are encouraged to develop the technical skills that will help them expand their ideas into thoughtful individual expression.

We embrace a breadth of vision and experience, which will challenge students to investigate and respond to contemporary issues through problem-solving.