Presented as part of The Concentric Influences of Sol LeWitt: Foundations, Pivots and Place public program suite, Folds Rips Cuts is an ongoing, online program that invites you to make your own artwork following the concepts that The Concentric Influences of Sol LeWitt project champions.
Sol LeWitt's iconic wall drawings were developed as a series of instructions. In his 1967 essay, “Paragraphs on Conceptual Art”, the artist explained how it was the instructions – or the idea – that formed the artwork, making them more important than the physical object. He believed that “the idea becomes a machine that makes the art”. Often the artworks were made, not by LeWitt himself, but by assistants following his instructions. By inviting others to fabricate his work, LeWitt challenged the traditional role of the artist in the making process.
The instructions for LeWitt’s works function like a composer’s score. As he described it: “It’s as though I were writing a piece of music and somebody else is going to play it." Different outcomes were sometimes drawn from LeWitt’s directions. He accepted these differences, seeing them as a part of the overall process. He created space within his instructions for improvisation: “I try to make the plan specific enough that it comes out more or less as I want it, but general enough that they have the freedom to interpret”.
Influenced by this way of artmaking, The Concentric Influences of Sol LeWitt: Foundations, Pivots and Place co-curator and artist, Irene Barberis, has developed directions for creating coloured paper structures. Submit your creation to galleries@rmit.edu.au and go in the running to win prizes, including tickets to forthcoming film screenings and other exciting events.
This public program is presented by The Conentric Influences of Sol LeWitt project in partnership with Metasenta and RMIT Gallery.
The Sol LeWitt Wall Drawing is generously loaned by the LeWitt Family and Estate.
