This project report x-rays the use of grass as a sculpture medium. It analyses the various new processes and techniques utilized by this research to engage grass that is different from the existing practice. Anchored on a functional framework, this study explored both dry and existing living grass (living sculpture), using dry Ize, an abundant grass in Nsukka environment as my principal medium. This is a departure from the prevailing practice that explores the innate properties of living grass only, focussing on wheat (a type of grass) that is grown and nurtured until they assume a sculptural outlook.
The project also discusses the conceptual meaning of the produced works vis-à-vis historical and contemporary issues. It goes further to highlight the implications of the major findings made by this research on grass sculpture. It concludes by pointing out some of the constraints encountered by this research, the attempts at dealing with such limitations and the possibilities of further research on grass as a material for sculpture.
The report is in five chapters. Chapter one – the introduction, reveals the structure of this project, the research problems and questions that gave direction to the entire study. Chapter two examines the existing literature on grass sculpture. Methodology, that is the processes, techniques and approaches deployed in addressing the research problems and questions are discussed in chapter three; while chapter four considers the studio exploration, the works generated and their conceptual meanings. Finally, conclusion in chapter five gives an overview of the entire exploration, revisiting the salient points. It sums up the research by pointing towards further researches on grass as a sculpture material.