Studies in
Contemporary Carving

We are looking for writers, interested in stone, wood and other forms of carving.

 

Although carving in stone, wood and other materials has an extremely ancient history, we live in a time when it seems important to ask the question, what does it mean to be a stone or wood carver in the twenty-first century?

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After a long period of apparent decline, first with the collapse of a market for stone and wood carving skills in the building trade as modernist architectural forms became dominant, and a definitive move away from carving in fine art sculptural practice, carving now faces an apparent new threat from the increasing use of laser-guided cutting machines and 3D printers.

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So, how should carvers position themselves in relation to these developments?

 

Equally, there is the ongoing debate as to whether carving in wood or stone is just another technique for fine artists to use. Does carving in fact have its own exegesis, a kind of discourse that is carving, which is distinct from fine art theory and practice?

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Studies in Contemporary Carving is an attempt to start a discussion on these and other issues affecting carving and carvers today. The project involves the publication of a series of pamphlet-like booklets, called Studies in Contemporary Carving, containing short essays by people interested in the future of carving, which we hope will spark debate and engender new ways of thinking about carving in the twenty-first century.

 

Call for Papers

 

We invite anyone interested in writing one of our pamphlets to submit an expression of interest, detailing the topic they would like to look at and how they would approach their subject.

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Pamphlets will be not less than 5,000 words in length and not more than 7,500 words, and they should be well-written and presented, although they do not have to be academic or scholarly. We welcome papers from academics, but also practitioners and independent writers outside academia, who have something interesting to say on this subject.

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Topic might be theoretical or practical, and could deal with historical or contemporary carving practices, but please do remember that the main aim is to spark discussion and debate. We welcome ideas relating to carving in the global context, not just carving as it is understood in the West, and also discussion on who is considered a carver and who is not, under-representation of various groups within carving, and speculative papers on the physical nature of carving as an activity, as well as its theoretical and historical aspects. In short, anything that can be considered carving is of interest to us.

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Our underlying belief for all of this that unless we start to have this debate there will be no future for carving. We believe we need to develop a discourse in carving, even if one has not previously existed, in order to ensure a future for this activity.

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Studies in Contemporary Carving is not affiliated to any institution and so will be willing to publish interesting pamphlets from an independent perspective.

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If you are interested in writing one of our pamphlets, please first write an email to Dr Michael Paraskos at m.paraskos@imperial.ac.uk outlining your initial ideas.

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Unfortunately we are not in a position to pay for papers, although we will cover all publication costs for those selected. Submission of a paper, even if agreed as something worth developing from an initial idea, does not guarantee publication.