Sculpture then and now
A sculpture is art that you can look at from all sides. A sculptor may carve stone or wood by cutting material away, model clay by pressing and joining it, or join many pieces together. A very long time ago, sculptors in Egypt made people and animals from stone, wood and clay. We learn about them in museums. Today sculptors still use stone, clay and metal, and some use recycled things such as cardboard, bottle tops and cans. When you plan a sculpture, choose an animal, think about its special features, and choose materials. Decide which glue will hold the pieces. Think about the message too: a sculpture of a camel could say “look after our desert”. Afterwards, reflect: what materials did I use and why, did the glue work, and what would I change?
| Way | What you do | Example material |
|---|---|---|
| carve | cut material away | stone, wood |
| model | press and join | clay |
| join | stick pieces together | cardboard, cans |
| Plan | Marwan’s choice |
|---|---|
| Animal | camel |
| Materials | 8 cardboard tubes, 2 boxes, bottle tops |
| Glue | school glue and tape |
| Message | look after our desert |
My animal sculpture. With a grown-up, plan a small animal sculpture from clean recycled things, clay or card. Write the animal, the materials, the glue and the message in a table. Build it. A grown-up helps with the glue and cutting, and you do not use sharp tools. Then reflect on four questions: what materials did I use and why, did the glue work, what message do I want to share, and what would I change? Show your sculpture to a friend and listen to what they see.