HARNESSING FLOWERS FOR SCULPTURAL POSSIBILITIES
By
Author
Presented To
Department of Arts
Africa has been portrayed by many scholars as a culture with an insignificant representation of
flowers; the proof is in the non representation of flowers in the visual art domain. The research
examines the ‘floral gap’ as postulated by Mazrui (2004) and the general assumption that flowers
are western not African. Jowit (2010), reports that ‘more than one out of four of all flowering
species are under threat of extinction’. For this reason, there is a dire need for artists in Nigeria to
respond to the environment and issues that pertain to it through artistic research. Five flowers
have been selected; hibiscus, lily, zinnia, sunflower and rose; they are explored to create
sculptures in relief and round forms to satisfy the canons of representational and abstract art. The
approach of this study is studio-experiment, and culminates in a thesis describing the processes,
materials and techniques applied in producing a body of work found in the catalogue. This study
therefore, provides insight on the use of flowers in artistic inquiry in Nigeria, particularly in the
field of sculpture. The purpose of this research is to promote a flower culture in Nigeria, making
flowers a relevant subject matter in expressing thoughts and ideas in art. This was achieved
through the following objectives: 1) select a group of flowers within ABU, Samaru campus for
exploration in sculpture. 2) create representational flower sculptures composed into identifiable
objects 3) explore parts of the flowers; its petals, sepals, pistils and stamens to create abstraction.
Art is an important aspect of culture it has the power to influence society. Kleiner (2013) asserts
that artists and architects can affect History by reinforcing or challenging cultural values and
practices through the objects they create. By implication since the artist has been able to produce
sculptures from the selected flowers, this research then serves as a platform for the promotion of
a flower culture in Nigeria using art as a vehicle. It suggests to artists, government and other
individuals the right attitude we ought to portray regarding flowers. Secondly a lot has been said
about the non-representation of flowers in African art; however, little has been mentioned about
flowers in contemporary sculpture in Nigeria. Therefore, this thesis will add to knowledge in the
area of literature. Lastly, the researcher developed a chart showing the life cycle of a flower
which is postulated on the basis of the Egyptian mythology of “life after death”. It could be
applicable to other artistic research that have to do with nature elements like insects, animals,
leaves and a host of others
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