phoebe cummings: the delusion of grandeur

‘the delusion of grandeur’ by phoebe cummings, 2011 unfired clay, wood 35 x 22 x 22 in.all images courtesy of the artist and museum of arts and design photo by ed watkins

the works of UK-based artist phoebe cummings are often formed from unfired clay and constructed within the exhibition space the sculpture will be installed. the labor-intensive  pieces are made to exist only for the time in which they are on display. cummings’ explores the temporality of objects and their relation to their surrounding space. her current piece, ‘the delusion of grandeur’ is on show at the museum of arts and design in new york until august 12th, 2012. presented as part of the ‘swept away: dust, ashes and dirt in contemporary art and design’ exhibition, the work addresses the concept of temporality and disintegration in human life and art through a process and material-based lens.

phoebe cummings creating ‘the delusion of grandeur’ for museum of arts and design’s open studios, december 2011

to begin, the artist organizes a wood and wire framework from which to build the sculpture

in order to keep the clay from drying while the sculpture is still in formation, the arms of the piece are wrapped in plastic

cummings nears the completion of ‘the delusion of grandeur’

cummings’ finished work