The Shoulder Sculptures are based on raw clay forms from earlier Dunhill and O’Brien works that no longer exist. Initially made for the White Conduit stand at London Art Fair in 2019, they were designed to be worn by the gallerist or invigilator as they moved through the fair, effectively turning the wearer into a mobile plinth.
Somewhere between sculpture, jewellery and harness, they were portable but not especially comfortable. When not being worn, they were stored in pairs on a shelf with their straps hanging below.
Each Shoulder Sculpture carries the memory of a much larger, temporary work, compressing it into something bodily, wearable and slightly burdensome.
Lost Work: Terms & Conditions
This Shoulder Sculpture derives from Terms & Conditions, Dunhill and O’Brien’s 2019 installation for the British Ceramics Biennial. The work included a 3.5-tonne raw clay form made in a single day, based on recorded descriptions of rocks by a dentist, dressmaker, boulderer, baker, engineer and masseur.
Throughout the exhibition the clay was kept damp so that it could later be redistributed. People arrived by car, bicycle, bus and on foot to collect bags of it for use in their own creative work.
Lost Work: Sculptomatic 2
For Sculptomatic 2 at Kunstvereniging Diepenheim, Holland, Dunhill and O’Brien worked with participants from the Netherlands and UK to make a 2.5-tonne raw clay form using locally sourced material.
After the exhibition, the clay was returned to the supplier for brick making.
Lost Work: Mountain Object
Mountain Object was made at the end of Dunhill and O’Brien’s first residency at Youkobo Art Space in Tokyo. Geta, or Japanese clogs, with platform soles based on two mountain ranges in the Nikko area, were used to model a clay mound on a turntable.
After the exhibition, the clay was donated to the residency’s materials store.
Lost Work: Sculptomatic 1
Sculptomatic 1 was a large-scale installation incorporating a 10-metre motorised elevator and 500 images of sculptures from different periods and cultures, all containing holes. Assistants made clay models from the images; each soft form was then placed on the moving structure and dropped from height into a vitrine, gradually accumulating into a two-tonne mass of raw clay.
After the exhibition, the clay was given to local art students.