Lecture date: 1996-05-16
The work of sculptor Richard Wilson is derived directly from the site in which the material is to be seen. Wilsons sensibility is stimulated by the physical, visual and sensual properties of architecture. His work challenges the traditional sanctity of architectural space, including that of art galleries, by extending a structure beyond the limits of functional use. In this lecture Wilson discusses certain concerns which run through the body of his work, focusing on the public aspect of site-specific art - both the encouragement of the audience to negotiate a destabilizing environment, as is evident in 20:50, in which the viewer is shepherded into the reflective environment of a room filled with sump oil, and the execution by town planners and councillors of their powers to halt these projects.
