Soft Sculpture is showing at the National Gallery of Australia until 12 July. Soft sculpture surveys the impact of unconventional materials on three-dimensional art practice over the last five decades

One of the foremost proponents of Pop art, Claes Oldenburg is credited as the creator of soft sculpture. Throughout the 1960s, he made oversized hamburgers and pieces of cake in vinyl stuffed with kapok, and miniature, collapsible canvas objects such as drum sets, which offer wry commentary on the dominance of fast food and mass culture.

Lucas SAMARAS, Box no. 85 1973, pins and stones on cardboard, 27.1 x 44.8 x 28.6 cm. National Gallery of Australia, Canberra Purchased 1981. © Lucas Samaras, Courtesy Pace Wildenstein

Claes OLDENBURG, Soft alphabet 1978, wood, cloth, sand, stencil 16/16, edition of 16 plus 11 proofs
signed, in black pen “Oldenburg” [verso of box] box (closed) 74.2 (h) x 56.4 (w) x 7.2 (d) cm. Purchased 1982
National Gallery of Australia, Canberra NGA 1982.1270.1-43 © Claes Oldenburg and Coosje Van Bruggen

Kathy TEMIN, Duck-rabbit problem 1991, synthetic fur on composition board, cotton, dacron, polystyrene, wire and enamel paint. 52.5 x 187.8 x 124.0 cm installation variable. National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne Purchased through The Art Foundation of Victoria with the assistance of the Rudy Komon Fund, Governor, 1998. Image courtesy of the artist

Amazing crochet orangutan sculptural toy from planet june – just gorgeous.

craftzine points us to this fantastic telephone sculpture from jek in the box

Installations by Merinda Kelly at Über Gallery, 52 Fitzroy St, St Kilda Victoria. 05 – 30 December

A series of assemblages made from everyday and precious objects. Placed within framed boxes and behind glass, the assemblages are reminiscent of traditional museum exhibition. Kelly’s works allude to issues of mass production, globalisation and materialism, in addition to perceptions of aesthetics and value.

I love this post at supernaturale – detailed instructions on how to do crochet sculpture. Also check out this related post – a pattern for a crochet baby octopus.

Dressed Pests I (resin, wire and paper)

The Deerhead Project – Red Cardinals, from the series Handmade Wilderness, wall-mount deer “trophies”-paper mache and decoupage on resin cast heads.

Nestlessness, from the series of small, self-contained, conceptual pieces titled The Book Project: diggin’ for the truth. Exploring the sculptural use of books. Jennifer methodically carves each page.

Etsy shop : artist website [via freshly blended]

Love the work of Frances Trombly. Her solo show “thinking of things” was on at David Castillo Gallery (2234 NW 2 Avenue, Miami, Florida) from 10 May 2008 to 7 June 2008.

Her work gave a “profound pause for traditional sculpture practices and a new direction for often overlooked objects” “she has made both objects that are not normally made from fiber and others that normally are” “her work explores an aesthetic reconsideration of objects we would rarely give any pause other than their immediate use and eventual discarding” her work deals “with false realities, the artist’s work continues to explore labor, perception, women’s issues and history” [from the catalogue essay David Castillo Gallery]

Garden Hose, 2007, Crocheted cotton and metal hook, Site Specific installation at Casa Lin, Miami | Mop, 2008, Hand spun silver wool and cotton, wooden mop handle | Four Balloons, 2005, Crocheted cotton | Jo-Ann, 2007, Hand-embroidery on fabric | “Thinking of Things” installation view at David Castillo Gallery | Paper Corner, 2002, Hand-woven fabric

[thanks to Craftzine and my half of the brain for the links]

Andy Goldsworthy is a British sculptor who makes site-specific installations using natural and found objects to create temporary (and sometimes permanent) sculptures.

Through the careful selection and arrangement of items readily found in nature, Goldsworthy creates installations in the natural environment that last from only a few moments to several years. The tools of his trade are his own two hands; his media are stones, sticks, leaves, sand, feathers, snow, ice, or whatever the natural environment offers him. Fixing his fragile compositions in place are thorns, water, ice, and gravity itself. His results are amazing. from University of Michegan Museum of Art

There is a flickr group dedicated to his work and to others work who have been inspired by him.

Andy Goldsworthy, Woven bamboo, windy…, Before the Mirror 1987

Andy Goldsworthy, Sheepfold MI87, Tilberthwaite Glen, Cumbria, Photographer: Dave Mulligan Picture by nvmdigital.com

was at Yorkshire Sculpture park 31 March 2007 – 6 January 2008 – Cow dung on window