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If you have ever wondered how and why modern and contemporary artists choose to work with specific 3D materials, this course will introduce you to a range of different media, techniques and artistic approaches. How have artists challenged or adapted the use of ‘traditional’ materials such as marble and bronze to create new forms of sculptural expression? What issues do artists address when working in unconventional materials such as food, ice or wax? How have some materials been judged as more significant than others in different historical periods? Using a range of class discussions, activities and resources, every week we focus on one example of 3D material and investigate how several artists at different periods of the 20th or 21st centuries have challenged or innovated their use of the material. Materials that we explore will include marble and stone; wood; bronze and metal; organic materials; fibres and textiles; and found objects. By exploring each material, we will discuss some of the techniques employed by artists to produce artworks; and consider issues around display, storage and longevity of artworks. Artists featured on the course will include Louise Nevelson, Anselm Kiefer, George Baselitz, Mrinalini Mukherjee, Rachel Whiteread, Andy Goldsworthy and Jeffrey Gibson.