The Cube

Phil Goulding

The Cube, 1993

Alabaster

As you wander past the pond and towering trees, do you wonder why this cube has been crafted in this manner?

The Cube is hard to miss as it stands along a well-walked section of campus outside the Odum School of Ecology. Created in 1993, the Cube was the first sculpture that Goulding created when he arrived as a student at UGA. The Cube is a 3 to 4 foot tall sculpture made from alabaster that Phil Goulding brought from Michigan. The stone had many cracks that Goulding worked out before the sculpting had begun. This work with the stone beforehand created a familiarity that its creator said "led to a pre-dictated form". Goulding's early sculptures consist of "Amorphous Symbolism" ,which allow the viewer to apply any meaning they wish. With the Cube, Goulding wished to create an exploration of the interior and exterior form.

The Cube also led to a change in how art is put on display at UGA. Goulding wished to place his sculpture around campus, but found an outdated system of applications to deans, faculty, administration and the head of food services . Goulding made an effort to streamline this process for this and future sculptures. Goulding's sculptures around campus made up more than half of the sculptures present around campus. Goulding received his MFA from UGA in 1995. Goulding also participated in a demonstration against art censorship in 1996. Today, Goulding is an active artist at the Farmington Depot Gallery.

Discussion Questions

Since the Cube is meant to fit any meaning applied to it, what do you think the Cube symbolizes? Do you think there is a meaning that the Cube cannot fit?

Does the Cube adequately explore the form of a cube? Do you think it is too distinct to be a cube, or do you think it still retains it shape despite its changing form?

Activity

The Cube is an exploration of form and shape. Challenge yourself to explore the shape of a different object such as a sphere or a cone. How would you explore that shape's exterior and interior. How would you change or challenge the existing notions of that shape?

To Learn More...

Read:

Phil Goulding Protesting Censorship The Red & Black, April 15th 1996

Phil Goulding Installing a Sculpture The Red & Black, April 26th 1996

Website:

Phil Goulding's Artist Page

The Opening of the Farmington Depot