Search all showsThe Sculpture Podcast
Episode 8: John Plowman & Giles Corby
Welcome to the Morley Sculpture Department podcasts that include interviews, discussions and even sounds from the sculpture studio courses. These will be led by and include sculpture tutors, students, artists and contributors from the wider community.
Sheila Vollmer, past Program Manager Sculpture, in discussion with former Morley Sculpture tutors John Plowman and Giles Corby who were both instrumental in the development of Pelham Hall Sculpture studio to create the unique Morley College Sculpture provision it is today.
We are celebrating Pelham Hall’s 50th anniversary as a working sculpture studio with an exhibition in Morley Gallery curated by Morley sculpture tutor, Alexandra Harley and I, of former and present Sculpture staff that contributed to its success over this time.
John Plowman
Working at Pelham Hall meant that I had to re-engage with and teach sculptural processes I hadn’t used for several years. This in turn necessitated me to make use of long forgotten modernist terminology and reference points that were, at the time, anathema to my post-modernist self. Certainly, this experience informed my studio practice at the time and continues to do so to this day.
www.johnplowmanstudio.com @johnnyplow
Giles Corby
Pelham Hall has been a significant part of my life as both an educator and a practising sculptor. While teaching sculpture at Morley College from 1997 to 2015, I was always actively making work alongside my students, and Pelham Hall became a vital space where those roles overlapped. It was a place of experimentation, skill-sharing, and transition, and I was closely involved in overseeing periods of change in how sculpture was taught and supported. The studio fostered a strong sense of community and rigor, and it continues to inform my commitment to learning-by-making within contemporary sculptural practice. @corbs44 @corbygiles
Sheila Vollmer
Since my first step into Pelham Hall in 1991 teaching an evening class, I felt at home. My biggest thrill always has been to inspire students to find their own voice and share my 3D passion. I am honoured to have worked with such an inspiring team of artists in Pelham Hall and the broader Morley Visual Art dept. My own practice has been inspired by the diverse and open approaches of both students and fellow staff. Polyphony is a new departure working with found piano keys & hinges finding a new composition, space and rhythm while celebrating the forms, colours and suggested sounds of this instrument. www.sheilavollmer.com @sheilavollmer
Alexandra Harley
Pelham Hall is such a rich and supportive community. I have been in the college for a long time now and have got to know many students working in other classes. It is such a tribute to the department that we have students returning year on year and building on their expertise. Both students and staff are focused and professional in their outlook and it is a joy to teach there. PH is so well provided for with equipment and expertise, I have learnt so much from my colleagues and I hope I reciprocate.www.alexandraharley.co.uk @harleysculpture
Check out the wide range of Sculpture courses at Morley College London