Shaping a Career in Sculpture; Interview with Briony Marshall

Recipient of the Royal British Society of Sculptors' bursary, Briony Marshall graduated with a degree in Biochemistry. We discuss her unconventional route into the world of sculpting.

- Could you describe your journey from academia to winning the RBS (Royal British Society of Sculptors) bursary earlier this year?

My route in art is a fairly tortuous one, which started aged five when I declared I didn't need to learn to read and write as I was going to be an artist. I loved drawing as a child, and in my teens I discovered clay during classes at the Chelsea Pottery. However, my interest and ability in science meant I was discouraged from going to art school and instead studied Biochemistry at Oxford. After gradation I was lured into working in the internet business in London. All the while I was continuing with my art practice and holding amateur exhibitions but I was frustrated at not being able to take it to the next level. Eventually I quit my job to go to art school.

Choosing an art school was another challenge. I had the desire to explore figure sculpture, which is not particularly encouraged and often not taught, at mainstream art schools. I went to The Art Academy, a small private art school which was set up in reaction to art teaching that focused solely upon conceptual art. The course involved a lot of practical training which was invaluable but I also attended huge numbers of gallery talks, tours and personal readings to gain a critical awareness of contemporary sculpture.

Since finishing my studies financial pressures have led me to juggle earning with developing my practice as sculpture, which has been frustrating at times. However, I surround myself with other creative people, (having a studio in a good studio group is really good for keeping up to date with opportunities and being inspired by others successes) and I have tried not to be shy about asking established artists or professionals in the art world for advice. But the main thing is to keep applying.

- What drew you to sculpture as a medium?

I find sculpture intellectually challenging, for each piece I need to work out how to make the piece in space. I am often try out new materials or techniques to find the best medium to express the ideas and feelings I am trying to portray. I think this problem solving part of the practice satisfies the scientific bit of my brain, whilst the initial inspiration comes from my 'creative side'.

- What is the development process for your work?

This is something I am still working on. My inspiration can come in different ways, sometimes I have an idea which I then look at communicating, at other times it is something I see that I want to try to understand through translating it into a sculpture. I do a lot of reading to find ideas and inspiration.

- Is there a strong commercial market for contemporary sculpture?

The answer to this depends on who you talk to. I have heard art world professionals state that the London art market is very healthy. However from personal experience I see a lot of amazingly talented artists, some of whom are doing well and selling work, but still struggling to make ends meet. Sculpture in particular is quite hard to sell because of the practicalities. As far as the domestic market goes (i.e. people buying because they want to live with the work) it is a lot easier for someone to buy and hang a painting, than to work out where they would put a sculpture that they like, particularly indoors. Getting into the collectors market is my ultimate aim, as this would increase the value and hence the perceived (and I hope actual) quality of my work.

- On your website you give detailed information about the thought process informing individual pieces of work - what takes precedence the ideas or the resultant object?

I think what takes precedent is the effect on the viewer, which is a combination of the ideas and the aesthetics of the piece.

- Would you describe your art as complex or simple? Why?

Ultimately I think sculpture has to be fairly simple, because it isn't like a novel or a film where you can have complex themes and different narratives. I think you have to keep the essence of a piece simple, one idea or one feeling, so that every element of the piece is saying the same thing. But sometimes the ideas I deal with are quite complex. So my latest installation 'The emergence of Chemistry' at the Royal British Society of Sculptors is about creation and emergence, but it has manifest in quite a complex way. I have four hanging elements which represent the emergence of 3-dimensional space through looking at the geometry of chemical bonds. On the wall behind these I have writing and drawings which look at the early seconds of the universe after the big bang, and the beginning of space, the elements and hence chemistry. So it is complex, but I am trying to express a single simple idea.

- What does the future hold for 'hand crafted' sculpture in the light of emerging technologies, such as ion beam and laser plasma cutting?

Technologies are not the only threat to 'hand crafted' work. Damien Hurst has demonstrated a different kind of art practice where it is purely the ideas of the artists, not the hand, which counts. I think it is a personal decision of any artist, and maybe also of collectors, as to what they feel is important. I am definitely tempted by the possibilities that new technologies and ways of working offer. This includes the model of outsourcing any of the process you don't want to or can't do, and spending your time focused on the ideas. But I also see that much of my inspiration come from doing, and I think I might get frustrated or feel like a fraud if I wasn't there when my work was created.

- Do you have any suggestions for others trying to develop a market for their work in this field?

Personally, I have shied away from trying to create a market for my work. I feel that this could lead to me creating work for the market. Instead I try to create the best work that I can and hope that someone will like it enough to buy it. This is not a very commercial approach, but if I wanted to earn lots of money there are other things I could do! This is the meaning/money issue. Some people can find one thing that they do which gives them both money and meaning in their life. I spend some of my time doing things that give me money, then I spend the rest of my time on my art practice that gives me meaning. Hopefully eventually I will also start earning money from the sculpture but my motivation will remain the meaning. That is not to say mean I approach sculpture as a hobby. I approach sculpture with professional focus but my aim is to build both the quality of my work and my reputation/profile in the art world.

- Are there any organizations or bodies you find particularly helpful?

I find it inspiring and encouraging being part of a good studio group. It is good to be surrounded by other professional artist and crafts people. My studio is 401 ½ Studios (www.401studios.org) which I found through the Artquest studio listings (http://www.artquest.org.uk/creating/studios-and-resources/visual-arts-and-craft.htm). Some friends of mine have ended up at studios where no one is ever there, so do find out what kind of a community it can offer you as well as the personal space it gives you.

Being a member of the Royal British Society of Sculptors (www.rbs.org.uk) is great as I now get sent a weekly email with opportunities for sculptors. I also got a from their 2-day Professional Development Course (Sculpting a Living).

I look at the opportunities in Artist Newsletter (www.a-n.co.uk), the Arts Councils Arts jobs email (www.artsjobs.org.uk) and Art quest (www.artquest.org.uk).

I also found it useful and enjoyable to visit a lot of small contemporary Art Galleries on gallery tours, as well as visiting the main art fairs (Frieze, Zoo, Scope, Art London) and biennales (Venice and Berlin). I managed to get invitations to some of these through Blood (www.bloodarts.org), a group organised by the Contemporary Art Society.