Make a sculpture worthy of the Turner Prize!

STEP 1

Look around your environment and collect six interesting objects that are small enough to fit in your hand. Each object should be different from the next, some might be hard and pointy, like a pencil, some could be soft and squishy, like a cushion, some should be man-made, like an egg cup, and some natural, like a seed pod. Hold each shape in your hand. Turn it upside down and around. Look closely at it. Does it have an inside and an outside? Is it hollow or full? Fragile or tough? Think of as many words to describe each object as possible. Write these words down on a piece of paper. 

STEP 2

Pick three of the words you’ve written down – it’s particularly fun if your three words are very different from each other. Your sculpture is going to have these three qualities. 

STEP 3

Keeping your three words in mind, explore ways of changing the materials you’re going to use. Try rolling, folding and taping things together, try cutting, tearing and scrunching. Can you make a piece of newspaper feel soft and squishy? Could you make a sheet of tissue paper feel hard and pointy? At this stage you could make a maquette – that’s a small preliminary model or a sketch in preparation for your final piece. Make as many maquettes and sketches as you like – these should explore your three words in as many different ways as possible.

To explore more curved and rounded shapes try rolling up plain paper or newspaper. How can you make a rolled shape that remains solid and strong as well as flexible?