{"id":91780,"date":"2025-06-03T10:22:57","date_gmt":"2025-06-03T09:22:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.modernartoxford.org.uk\/cms\/?p=91780"},"modified":"2026-04-28T10:24:59","modified_gmt":"2026-04-28T09:24:59","slug":"sculpture-volunteers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.modernartoxford.org.uk\/cms\/sculpture-volunteers\/","title":{"rendered":"The Sculpture x Volunteers: How Volunteers at Modern Art Oxford Activated an Artwork at the Gallery"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Sif Laerke-Hall (Volunteer Coordinator & Studio Assistant)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What do artists do and who gets to be called one? <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is art confined to the studio, or can it emerge from everyday activity, collaboration, and conversation? <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How can archives be leveraged as sources for artistic expression? <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

These are just a few of the thought-provoking questions explored by volunteers in a recent \u2018activation\u2019 of The Sculpture<\/em> as part of the Barbara Steveni: I Find Myself<\/em> exhibition at Modern Art Oxford.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Sculpture activation. Photography by Stu Allsopp (2025).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

So, what is <\/strong>The Sculpture<\/em><\/strong>? <\/strong>The Sculpture<\/em> consists of a boardroom table and chairs, but it is so much more than that! While it may at first appear mundane and inconspicuous, this simple set-up can be brought to life (or \u2018activated\u2019) through the power of human-interaction. As soon as a group of people take a seat around the table and engage with one another\u2014<\/em>sharing thoughts and ideas through conversation and collaborative meaning-making\u2014The Sculpture <\/em>morphs into a dynamic artistic experience. Like many of Steveni\u2019s assemblages created from found objects, The Sculpture<\/em> embodies a sense of \u2018potential\u2019; it represents the idea that, given the right conditions or considered from a certain perspective, anything has the potential to become an artwork.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Sculpture <\/em>was originally exhibited in 1971 at the Hayward Gallery, London, and in D\u00fcsseldorf, Germany. Members of the Artist Placement Group (AGP), of which Steveni was a founding member, facilitated discussions with various industrialists and government officials around the table. These conversations explored the role of art and artists in the decision-making processes of society. As part of the Barbara Steveni: I Find Myself<\/em> exhibition, Modern Art Oxford has invited several groups, including Policy Lab and Incidental Unit, to \u2018activate\u2019 The Sculpture<\/em>. A small group of our volunteers were also invited to design and deliver their own take on an \u2018activation\u2019. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Sculpture activation. Photography by Stu Allsopp (2025).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

How did volunteers activate <\/strong>The Sculpture<\/em><\/strong>? <\/strong>Over several workshops in April and May, volunteers learned more about Barbara Steveni, the APG, and The Sculpture<\/em> from our Exhibitions Team. Through conversation and collaborative mind-mapping, volunteers identified several themes, topics, and questions which resonated with the most and would go on to inform their \u2018activation\u2019. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Themes discussed included:<\/p>\n\n\n\n