Art student recipient of international sculpture award

Who
David Young, MFA sculpture student in ASU Herberger College School of Art

What
David Young, a master's of fine arts student in sculpture, has earned distinction as a recipient of the 2007 Outstanding Student Achievement in Contemporary Sculpture Award.

Chosen from a field of 339 applicants from 139 national and international colleges and universities, Young's piece, Object in Motion, incorporates design, engineering and science concepts in an innovative display.

“The conceptual basis for my work derives from particle dynamics, basic laws of motion, gravity, quantum physics and probability,” explains Young. “Each piece uses the scientific method, but in reverse -- taking a given understanding and creating an environment in which it can be questioned.”

The sculpture consists of a 20-pound, cast-brass sphere rolling on a wooden table surface set with sensors. The sensors are connected to pneumatic cylinders in each table leg which automatically adjusted the table’s surface to keep the sphere in constant motion. Young’s piece was the only pneumatic piece, and one of only two kinetic pieces, in the exhibition.

“The sphere is usually undefined in its specifics – the un–manifest, unknown, and/or indeterminate”, says Young. “It is also one of the most difficult forms to craft perfectly by hand. I use the sphere as a point of contemplation, the representation of an imaginative act or spiritual moment, while de-emphasizing its sacredness through quantity.”

Object in Motion is on display through April 28, 2008 as part of the Grounds for Sculpture Fall/Winter Exhibition. 

The award was founded in 1994 to recognize young sculptors and to encourage their continued commitment to the field of sculpture. A total of 21 students were selected to exhibit their juried artwork this year, as part of a partnership with the International Sculpture Center (ISC) and Grounds for Sculpture, to bring the eighth consecutive Outstanding Student Achievement in Contemporary Sculpture exhibition.

Where
Grounds for Sculpture Fall/Winter Exhibition, Hamilton, New Jersey.

When
October 6, 2007 to April 27, 2008

Cost
Free

Public Contact
Go to the ISC website: www.sculpture.org

The School of Art is a division of the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts at Arizona State University. Its printmaking, photography and art education programs are nationally ranked in the top 10, and its Master of Fine Arts program is ranked eighth among public institutions byU.S.News & World Report. The school includes four student galleries for solo and group shows by graduate and undergraduate art and photography students: Gallery 100, Harry Wood, Northlight and Step. To learn more about the School of Art, visit art.asu.edu.

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Carol Cox
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