Brick sculpture: Telling stories in brick
/A single, fired clay brick is a humble block. And yet, in the hands of excellent designers and masons it can be made to do amazing things. That’s never more true than in the case of brick sculpture.
In its “green,” unfired form, brick is very similar to other clays used for sculpting that can be carved into incredibly detailed shapes by skilled artists. Unlike traditional clay sculpting, however, brick sculpting works within the context of a structure. Rather than beginning as a large mass of unformed clay, artists working in brick typically preserve the unit-by-unit nature of brick as they work, stacking and arranging it to create a canvas from which the completed work of art will emerge. The brick units can then be disassembled and fired, then laid up again with mortar. Some works are freestanding (forming their own structure), while others are designed to be integrated into a building facade. In either case, the context provided by the eventual structure influences the design and approach by the sculptor.
When integrated into a building facade, brick sculptures are often bas-relief murals. Murals are an excellent way to tell a story about the structure, its occupants, or its geographical and social context. Without breaking the material aesthetic of a brick wall, images in brick murals take on a third dimension, casting shadow, reinforcing the structure’s style, and adding variety. This is not dissimilar to the use of custom brick shapes to add detail to a structure. Custom shapes, though, are typically extruded mechanically or perhaps hand-molded. While they are beautiful, they lack the one-of-a-kind touches of a custom work of art. And, brick sculptures are capable of more overtly telling a story about the world around the building.
If you’d like to incorporate a brick sculpture into your next project, refer to BIA’s directory of artists, or reach out to brick manufacturers who are members of the Brick Industry Association’s Heartland Region. They’ll be able to put you in touch with artists experienced in brick sculpture. Some manufacturers even maintain in-house studios, or may be able to point you toward works in progress, so you can experience the process first-hand.
