Responding at the River’s Edge: Sculpture, Gardens and Liminal Space: Material co-creation and ecological entanglement in contemporary sculptural practice

This presentation explores a practice-led sculptural methodology situated at the intersection of environment, material process, and ecological thinking. Drawing on ongoing doctoral research, the research examines how sculptures emerge through entanglement with outdoor environments, including weathering, seasonal change, and more-than-human agency.

Focusing on site-responsive assemblages developed within garden contexts, the research positions sculpture as a dynamic, evolving entity shaped through processes of exposure, decay, and transformation. The notion of the “river’s edge” operates as both a literal and conceptual threshold, foregrounding ideas of liminality and transition.

The presentation contributes to contemporary discourse on posthuman and new materialist approaches to art practice, proposing a shift from artistic control towards co-creation with environmental forces. It highlights how sculptural practice can act as a form of witnessing material change, opening new ways of engaging with ecology, time, and embodied making.