Control of the Void A site-specific public art sculpture [2014-2015]

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Srishti Institute of Art, Design and Technology.

CONCEPT

Creating humanoid sculptural pieces as extrapolations from the building, Manush John plays with scale and structure to illuminate the more intangible nuances of human experience within the architecturally imposing metro station, alluding to feelings of intimidation that the vastness of the station perpetuates. His project is a sculpture depicting man rising and morphing into the surrounding architecture. The pieces are painted off-white, mimicking the walls of the building while at the same time contrasting the granite of the floors. Manush has made four sculptures emerging from ground, the first being most rendered and detailed, while the last being most abstracted.

ARTIST BIO

Manush John’s work has ranged across digital painting and illustration, digital sculpting, bronze casting, sound design, film, animation, museology and curation. He weaves several of these aspects into his projects, be it in their final form, their presentation or their documentation, and has participated in art shows both nationally and internationally. Having developed a rigorous and in-depth understanding of human anatomy, his work often explores how ideas can be expressed through the human body. Regardless of form, his themes attend to various social realities and norms as he underlines, reflects upon and critiques them through his work.

PROCESS

Given the ability of body language to hold and convey various levels of information, Manush sought to understand what the placement of a human figure within a public site could generate. He chose to situate this sculpture on the platform right in front of the elevator, as if for the sculpture to parallel the act of rising up and emerging from the ground below. His sculpture was designed digitally on a 3D rendering software which was then translated into layers that could be CNC cut out of MDF.

Written by Ruchika Nambiar